SAN ANTONIO — UTSA team earned an opportunity to play for the regular season Conference USA Regular Season Championship by dispatching East Carolina in four sets (25-20, 23-25, 25-16, 25-15) on Friday night at the Convocation Center.
Preseason C-USA Player of the Year McKenzie Adams put down a match-high 28 kills, registered an attack percentage of .375 and added 20 digs to secure the Roadrunners' 12th win in their last 13 matches. Annie Kunes and Paige Hamilton had 18 and 15 digs, respectively.
East Carolina (13-18, 3-10 C-USA) put up a stern test behind Nicole Willis’ 13 kills and 15 digs from Erika Figueroa.
UTSA (20-7, 12-1 C-USA) limited the Pirates’ attack to a .051 hitting percentage In a back-and-forth first set. Adams collected seven winners and tied teammate Lauren Muenchow with a set-high two blocks, as the Birds closed the set on a 4-1 run.
East Carolina evened the match in the second stanza by fighting back from a 16-12 deficit and holding off a late Roadrunners comeback bid. Whitney Campbell tallied six kills, including the set clincher for the Pirates.
Coming out of the 10-minute break, UTSA regained control of the match by building a 19-12 lead and holding the Pirates to a -.064 hitting percentage. Adams had a set-high seven digs and Kunes pitched in another six in the defensive slugfest.
The Roadrunners clinched the match with Adams putting her final stamp on Senior Night with eight kills and seven digs. Fellow seniors Brandy Huskey and Paige Hamilton dished out 17 assists and five digs, respectively.
UTSA will close out regular season play at 1 p.m. on Sunday against Tulsa (23-5, 12-1 C-USA). The winner will finish the campaign as C-USA Champions.