Gonzales leads Volleyball past FIU in five setsGonzales leads Volleyball past FIU in five sets
Jeff Huehn
Volleyball

Gonzales leads Volleyball past FIU in five sets

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SAN ANTONIO – Senior setter Amanda Gonzales charted her sixth double-double of the season and UTSA volleyball used furious runs in the third and fifth set to post a five-set win (23-25, 25-15, 25-22, 22-25, 15-9) over FIU, on Friday night at the Convocation Center.
 
UTSA (13-5, 5-1 Conference USA) emerged with the win after a wild five-set match with FIU (12-7, 4-2 C-USA). The Roadrunners suffered a first-set loss late but rebounded with an easy second-set win. After taking a 2-1 lead with a narrow win in the third, UTSA saw FIU post a three-point, fourth-set win to force five sets. The Runners raced out of an early tie in the fifth to earn six of the final seven points, clinching the win.
 
With the win, UTSA now sits in a two-way tie for second in the league standings, just a half game shy of Rice (6-0). The Roadrunners will get a chance to break the tie for second on Sunday, hosting their peer FAU (5-1) at 1 p.m. CT at the Convocation Center. 

A product of New Braunfels, Texas, Gonzales earned her sixth double-double of the year, charting 37 assists and a team-leading 21 digs, a career high. Gonzales added a service ace and was joined by senior Shelby Williams with a team-best 21 digs. Gonzales ranks 10th in Conference USA in assists per set (8.31) in 2018.
 
UTSA freshman Hannah Lopez had a double-double with 16 kills and 11 digs, adding two blocks. Freshman Kirby Smith had 14 kills, six digs and four blocks, with junior Kara Teal sporting 11 kills and five blocks. Montse Castro finished with a career-high 10 kills and three blocks. Junior Brianna McCulloch charted seven kills, with sophomore Hannah Froeschl owning six kills – including five in her final nine swings – and a career-best seven blocks.
 
UTSA opened the match with four of the first five points and after a Castro kill and a tandem block from Smith and Froeschl, UTSA took a 6-3 lead. Smith and Froeschl again teamed up for a block and an 8-5 lead and after a hard right-handed swing from Smith on the far side of the net, UTSA took a 10-6 lead. McCulloch and Teal each earned kills and Emily Ramirez dropped an ace as UTSA took a 14-11 lead. FIU rallied with four straight to force a timeout from UTSA, leading 15-11. FIU raced back to take its first lead at 15-14, before Castro smashed her second kill to even it at 16. Smith notched a pair of kills, along with McCulloch, as UTSA took a 20-18 lead and forced a timeout from the Panthers. Three straight from FIU allowed the Panthers to regain the lead before Lopez notched her second kill for a 21-21 set. UTSA evened it at 22 and 23 after kills from Lopez and Teal but a 2-0 run ended the set in favor of FIU, 25-23.
 
The teams traded the first 20 points of the second set, with UTSA getting an ace from Lopez and kills from Lopez and Castro during the first sequence. UTSA took the first three points out of its timeout, including back-to-back aces from Teal for a 13-10 lead, forcing an FIU timeout. UTSA's run continued to four before FIU snapped the stretch. UTSA took a 17-12 lead after a great service from Ramirez led to a point and after kills from McCulloch and Teal, UTSA took a 20-13 lead and forced a timeout. The run stretched to four straight out of the timeout for a 21-13 lead. Lopez notched a pair of kills as UTSA took a 23-14 lead. Tables turned as UTSA earned set point at 24-14, with Castro earning the set and Ramirez leaping for the full-swing kill. UTSA finished off the set with a 25-15 win.
 
FIU came out strong in the third set, taking a 6-3 lead before Froeschl smashed her second kill of the match. FIU extended its lead to 11-6 before UTSA started to claw back into the match, getting big kills from Castro and Smith and a monster block from Teal and McCulloch to take a 17-16 lead. After FIU evened it at 17, consecutive terminations from McCulloch and Castro put the Runners up 19-17. FIU rallied to even the match at 21 after a 3-0 run, forcing a UTSA timeout. Smith's kill put UTSA up 22-21 out of the break. A block from Froeschl and Smith put UTSA up 23-21 before UTSA was able to take two of the next three points for a 25-22 win.
 
FIU raced out to a 7-3 lead to open the fourth set with UTSA getting back within 7-5 after kills from Smith and Froeschl. Kills from Smith and Teal kept UTSA in the set, down 11-10 after Smith's 13th kill. Smith evened the set for the first time at 12. FIU would take four of the next five points to force a UTSA timeout with a 19-15 lead. UTSA answered with a 4-0 run to even it up at 19. FIU was able to take three of the next five points to take a 23-21 lead and force a UTSA timeout. FIU finished off the win with a 25-22 result.
 
UTSA took the first point in the fifth and the teams traded points until a 2-0 run, including a kill from Froeschl and a block from Froeschl and Lopez, to take a 9-7 lead and force an FIU timeout. After FIU took the point out of the break, UTSA used a huge smash from Lopez and consecutive blocks from McCulloch and Froeschl, and Castro, to post a 12-9 lead. Castro's 10th kill put UTSA up 13-9 and a block from Teal saw the Runners go up 14-9 in a 15-9 win. 

- UTSA -