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SAN ANTONIO -- UTSA volleyball got big outings from freshmen Hannah Lopez and Kirby Smith to post a four-set win (21-25, 25-17, 25-21, 25-21) over Southern Miss in the opener of Conference USA play, on Friday night at the Convocation Center.
UTSA (9-4, 1-0 C-USA) rallied from behind to take the final three sets over Southern Miss (6-8, 0-1 C-USA), using strong finishing performances from Lopez and Smith.
UTSA was led by a 14-kill effort from Smith with Lopez charting 13 kills and eight digs. Brianna McCulloch and Kara Teal, a pair of dynamic juniors, had 10 and eight kills respectively.. Senior Shelby Williams had a team-best 15 digs, with Amanda Gonzales sporting a match-high 37 assists. Hannah Froeschl had eight kills.
The Roadrunners will return to action on Sunday, hosting North Texas at 1 p.m. CT at the Convocation Center.
Hear from coach @lauragroff14 after a four-set win on Friday! #BirdsUp 🤙 pic.twitter.com/8y345QVSMv
— UTSA Volleyball (@UTSAvolleyball) September 22, 2018
UTSA raced out to a 4-1 lead to open the match, getting early kills from Teal and McCulloch. After a pair of USM points, Rutherford notched back-to-back kills for a 7-3 lead, with UTSA extending the lead to 9-4 before an Eagles timeout. UTSA extended its lead to 10-5 out of the timeout but USM roared back to take a 16-15 lead. Froeschl's first kill evened it back at 16 with the Runners taking the lead at 17-16. The teams traded points to take the set to 20-20, before a 3-0 run saw USM take a 23-20 lead and finish off a 25-21 win. McCulloch led UTSA with four kills in the set with UTSA limited to a .162 hitting percentage and USM hitting .290.
Froeschl opened the second set with UTSA using kills from Teal and two from Smith to take a 5-2 lead. The Eagles rallied to take a 10-8 lead before UTSA regained the lead at 11-10 behind an ace from Gonzales. Smith extended the lead to 14-12 and Froeschl's monster swing in the middle of the net part of consecutive kills and an 18-15 lead. A one-handed Froeschl rejection led to a 21-16 lead and the second USM timeout of the set, with a pair of Teal points finishing off the 25-17 win.
The teams traded the first two points of the set with Smith getting UTSA even at 2-2 after a nifty dig from Mia Ybarra. The run continued to 5-0 behind a kill from Smith, and three consecutive dynamite services from Teal. After kills from Smith and Froeschl, USM took its first timeout of the third set. Smith's eight kill made it 9-4 and a Froeschl smash in the middle of the net stretched it to 10-5 and a solo rejection from Teal stretched it to 11-5. After a McCulloch swing made it 14-6, USM used its second timeout of the set. Big points from Smith and Froeschl took the lead to 17-9 but a run from the Eagles cut the lead to 18-13 and forced a UTSA timeout. Five straight points out of the timeout for USM evened it at 18 and Coach Laura Neugebauer-Groff called for her second timeout. The teams traded points, including a trio of kills from Lopez to take a 22-21 lead. Lopez continued the blistering pace, smashing a kill for a 23-21 lead and then using a stellar dig from Emily Ramirez to give UTSA a 24-21 lead with Teal finishing it at 25-21.
Southern Miss took the first two points of the fourth and stretched its lead to 3-1. UTSA answered to take a 4-3 lead and an 8-7 advantage after a solo block from Teal. Smith evened it up at 10 with a kill and the set went to 13-13. The teams traded points until three straight, including a solo block from Gonzales, to force a USM timeout with a 19-17 lead. Big points from Teal and Gonzales put UTSA up 21-19. UTSA forced a USM timeout after a kill from Smith.
- UTSA -