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SAN ANTONIO -- UTSA volleyball got a strong outing from Kara Teal, who had 13 kills in 26 swings – to lead the Roadrunners to a three-set sweep (25-21, 27-25, 25-21 ) over North Texas, on Sunday afternoon at the Convocation Center.
UTSA (10-4, 2-0 C-USA) posted a strong win in the first set before fighting off a late charge from North Texas (6-12, 1-1 C-USA) – the defending league champion – to claim the second set.
The Runners have opened C-USA play with 2-0 starts in all but one season since joining the circuit in 2013. UTSA has now won five consecutive home tilts vs. North Texas.
Teal, a native of Round Rock, Texas, led UTSA's offensive attack with 13 kills in 26 swings, hitting .423. Teal, a six-foot junior, added three blocks and a dig. Freshmen Hannah Lopez and Kirby Smith also starred, with Lopez earning 10 kills and seven digs and Smith notching eight kills and 14 digs. Senior Shelby Williams had 18 digs, with senior Amanda Gonzales dishing out a team-high 25 assists and adding a double-double with 10 digs. Sophomore Hannah Froeschl, a member of the 2017 C-USA All-Freshman Team, had six kills.
UTSA will return to action on Friday, traveling to face Rice at 6 p.m. CT in Houston, Texas.
The Roadrunners opened the match with the first three points, as Teal opening the scoring with a two-handed stuff in the middle of the net. Teal and McCulloch teamed up on a block for the second point, and Teal kept the momentum rolling with a monster right-handed termination in the middle of the net. After UNT pulled even at four, McCulloch's fist kill allowed UTSA to regain the lead. UTSA continued the run to 3-0 for a 7-4 lead, with Froeschl's first kill coming as a soft spike in the middle of floor. After Mia Perales dropped an ace, UNT called its first timeout with the Runners leading 9-5. Consecutive kills from dynamic freshmen Smith and Lopez put UTSA up 11-7 before a 4-0 UNT run evened it at 11. The teams traded points to take the set to 13-13 before a 3-0 stretch forced a UNT timeout. The run featured a kill from McCulloch and a Lopez ace, sandwiching a full-out effort from Gonzales to crash into press row to keep a rally alive. UNT stopped the run at 4-0 to cut the lead to 17-14. Smith's kill, coming on a hard-earned point off an Ashley Dominguez service, put UTSA up 19-14. Kills from Madeline McKay and Lopez put UTSA up 22-16. A 3-0 run from the Mean Green cut the UTSA lead to 24-22 and forced Coach Laura Neugebauer-Groff to use her first timeout and Teal finished it with her third kill.
UTSA got the first point of the second set behind a kill from McCulloch but UNT used a 3-0 run to take a 3-1 lead. UTSA rallied back, with McCulloch's running swing giving UTSA its first lead in the second set, 5-4. Points were traded as the teams were brought even at nine, with McKay's second kill giving UTSA a 10-9 lead. Consecutive points, on a kill from Teal and a nifty dig from Lopez, forced a UNT timeout with the Runners leading 12-10. McCulloch and Teal teamed up on a block for a 13-10 lead and Teal's six kill – coming on her first 10 swings – put UTSA up 14-12. UTSA answered after UNT pulled even at 15, 16 and 17 before Teal notched a pair of powerful swings for a 19-17 lead. UNT rallied to cut the lead to 21-20 despite a pair of big swings from Teal and McCulloch. UTSA was the first to set point after a Froeschl kill for a 24-23 lead but UNT answered to take a 25-24 lead. Lopez earned two straight kills to give UTSA a 26-25 lead and an attacking error pushed UTSA to the 27-25 win.
UNT opened the third stanza with the first four points before consecutive kills from McCulloch brought UTSA to life. After a nifty dig from Teal led to a point, UTSA pulled even at six. Kills from McCulloch and Froeschl evened it at eight before UTSA took its first lead of the third set, 9-8. The clubs traded points until four straight from UTSA, including two kill from Teal, put UTSA up 14-12. Emily Ramirez, a junior southpaw, used a service run that saw UTSA take an 18-13 lead. Three straight points pushed UNT to within 18-16 and forced a UTSA timeout. Kills from Teal and Froeschl put the Runners up 20-17 and Froeschl put UTSA up 22-18 with her fifth kill.
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