SAN ANTONIO — UTSA (2-3) split a pair of matches on Thursday's opening day of the UTSA Classic. The Roadrunners (2-3) swept Lamar by scores of 25-16, 25-22 and 25-17 before falling to No. 8 Florida in three sets (25-18, 25-17, 25-20).
UTSA (2-3) will wrap up tornament play on Friday with a noon match against Loyola Marymount (2-2) before squaring off with Texas A&M (3-1) at 7 p.m.
UTSA 3, Lamar 0 (25-16, 25-22, 25-17)
UTSA sweet of former Southland Conference foe Lamar (1-4) in the opening match of the tournament.
Kylie Schott had a team-high eight kills with McKenzie Adams and Dempsey Thornton adding seven apiece. Annie Kunes led the defensive effort with 13 digs, as the Roadrunners limited Lamar to a .073 hitting percentage, and Brandy Huskey handed out a game-high 26 assists.
The Roadrunners broke an 8-all tie in the opening set with four consecutive points, which was highlighted by a service ace from Jordan Kotara and capped by an Adams kill. UTSA continued to build on its advantage, at one point taking 10-of-11 points. Adams led the way with four winners, while Kotara added three kills in five swings.
UTSA again broke open an early 8-8 tie in the second set with an 8-2 run before the Lady Cardinals fought back to tie the set at 21. Adams responded with a pair of kills, as the Roadrunners took four of the final five points to take a commanding 2-0 lead into locker room.
The Roadrunners used another big run in the third set to close out the match. UTSA broke a 15-all tie by scoring 10 of the match’s final dozen points en route to the victory. Schott led the way with five winners, while Kunes had a team-high four digs.
#8 Florida 3, UTSA 0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-20)
Playing the highest ranked team to visit the Convocation Center since No. 5 Texas on Sept. 1, 1993, the Roadrunners jumped out to an early 7-5 lead before No. 8 Florida went on a 14-7 run to win the first set. Adams, who finished the contest with a match-leading 13 kills, again led the way with five in the opening set, while Ziva Recek and Chloe Mann paced the Gators with four winners each.
UTSA again raced to a quick lead in the second set, but Florida responded with a 12-4 run to take a 17-12 lead. The Birds fought back to within two at 18-16 before the Gators got consecutive kills from Gabby Mallette and Mann to regain control of the set.
UTSA set the pace in building a 9-5 lead in the third frame, but Florida again turned the tides with a decisive rally in the middle of the set. With the score knotted at 13, the Gators used a 7-3 run to outdistance the Roadrunners and finish off the sweep.