Bowling Green, Ky. — Despite seizing a commanding first set against top-seeded North Texas, the UTSA volleyball team was eliminated from the Conference USA Championship Saturday afternoon with a four set semifinals loss (25-19, 16-25, 18-25, 25-27) to the Mean Green.
UTSA (12-16) was led offensively by First Team All-Conference selection Marijeta Runjic , who recorded a match-high 16 kills in the loss. Sophomores Kara Teal and Brianna McCulloch strengthened the UTSA attack with 13 and 11 kills, respectively. Junior setter Amanda Gonzales produced her seventh double-double of the season with 42 assists and 12 digs.
Defensively, the Roadrunners notched 88 digs, the second most in a match for UTSA this season. The showing was paced by junior Shelby Williams, who delivered a team-best 21 digs. It was the third time this season that the defensive specialist collected 20 or more digs. Sophomore Emily Ramirez followed with 18 digs while Brianna Hudson chipped in 10.
No squad had a lead larger than a point in the opening frame until UTSA created some space with a 5-1 run that saw North Texas commit three offensive errors, while Runjic powered a kill and combination block with Chatham. From there, the Roadrunners would keep grinding toward a 20-13 lead with the help of more mistakes by the Mean Green. North Texas rallied for three-straight points in the final plays, but UTSA's lead held 25-19. North Texas was held to a .095 hit percentage in the set.
The North Texas offensive picked up in the second set as the heavy hitting of Holly Milam led to a stout .475 team hitting percentage. The Mean Green pushed out to a 9-5 lead early, but UTSA pulled within three (10-7). A late comeback attempt by the Birds, which included a 5-1 run, was halted when Karley York recorded a kill through the Roadrunner defense (24-16). The Mean Green ended the match off a UTSA attacking error.
The teams battled in a third set that saw six ties, but North Texas ran away with the frame, much in part to 20 kills from the Mean Green. North Texas sealed the stanza with a 25-18 decision as it hit .419 and held the Roadrunners to a .238 hitting percentage.
The match came down to a decisive fourth set that was tied at 25 before North Texas secured the win with back-to-back kills from Valerie Valerian. The Mean Green opened the frame punching through the UTSA defense while limiting the Roadrunners to a hitting percentage below .100 to lead 11-5. However, UTSA wouldn't go down silently. Utilizing consecutive 4-0 runs, UTSA rallied to tie the score at 24. The teams tied it once more at 25 before Valerian notched the last two points for the match win.
