MINNEAPOLIS – The UTSA volleyball team fell in four sets (25-18, 25-23, 20-25, 25-21) to Tennessee on Friday afternoon in the Diet Coke Classic at Maturi Pavilion.
Sophomore Brianna McCulloch had a career-high and match-best 21 kills to lead three Roadrunners in double figures. Senior Marijeta Runjic added 15 kills while senior Megan Slan finished with 10.
Junior Amanda Gonzales captured her second double-double of the season as she totaled 48 assists and 10 digs. Runjic and junior Shelby Williams chipped in 13 digs apiece while sophomore Emily Ramirez led the Runner defense with 20 digs.
UTSA (0-4) and the Volunteers (4-0) opened the match tied at two, but consecutive Roadrunner errors sparked a 4-0 run for UT. Tennessee would maintain its advantage and take the first set, 25-18.
The teams opened the second set going point-for-point as they tied the stanza nine times. Knotted at 23, Tennessee claimed the last two points off a UTSA error and a kill from Kendra Turner.
Relentless, UTSA commanded a 7-2 lead to open the third frame, forcing a quick Tennessee timeout. Capitalizing off of three Tennessee errors, kills from Slan and McCulloch and a pair of service aces from Williams and Hudson fueled the opening run. Following the timeout, a pair of Runjic kills extended the Roadrunners advantage to 10-4.
UTSA's lead ballooned to 18-14 with individual kills from McCulloch and Slan as well as a sixth Roadrunner ace, this time by Ramirez. The Birds solidified their control by scoring seven of the last 13 points, clinching the set, 25-20.
The fourth set was back-and-forth at the beginning, with the score tied at 6, until Tennessee embarked on a 7-3 run to take control, 14-9. The Roadrunners would rally to come within three, but would not able to push past the Vols, who took the last set, 25-21, to win the match.
UTSA wraps up play at the Diet Coke Classic on Saturday with a 10 a.m. match against No. 2 Minnesota and a 4:30 p.m. contest versus West Virginia.
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