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SAN ANTONIO – Western Kentucky used a mid-set win in the first to fuel a four-set (19-25, 17-25, 25-22, 23-25) win at UTSA volleyball, on Sunday afternoon at the Convocation Center.
UTSA (16-7, 8-3 Conference USA) had its six-game winning streak snapped on Friday with a loss to unbeaten Rice, before hosting traditional powerhouse WKU (16-9, 7-3 C-USA) on Sunday. UTSA now sits three full games behind Rice for the league title.
The Hilltoppers raced out of a 12-12 tie in the first set to take the first set in a six-point win and was able to ride the momentum of the run to the following two sets.
Juniors Brianna McCulloch and Kara Teal helped power the offense. McCulloch, a product of San Antonio's Taft High School, finished with 14 kills and two blocks. A native of Round Rock, Teal had nine kills.
Freshman outside hitters Hannah Lopez and Kirby Smith turned in strong contributions. Lopez, a product of San Antonio's Winston Churchill High School, had five kills and four digs. Smith, who starred at Plano East High School, added 11 kills, three blocks and seven digs. Senior libero Shelby Williams, a native of New Braunfels, Texas, had eight digs. Amanda Gonzales, UTSA's senior setter and native of New Braunfels, had a team-best 21 assists. Sophomore Hannah Froeschl had a team-best eight blocks and eight kills. Freshman setter Mia Perales added 18 assists.
UTSA will return to action on Friday with the final two conference road games of the season, traveling to face Louisiana Tech on Friday before venturing to face Middle Tennessee on Sunday.
The Roadrunners notched the first two points of the match, including the first kill of the match from McCulloch. WKU answered with a 3-0 run before Froeschl's first smash in the middle of the net evened it at three. Two of the next three points came from Smith, with Williams earning an ace for a 7-4 lead. The Toppers answered with a 4-0 run to regain the lead at 8-7 before McCulloch's third kill – in five swings – evened the set at eight. WKU notched the next two points before Teal's first kill. Lopez's first swing and termination evened the set at 11 and Gonzales and Froeschl teamed up for a block to notch the set at 12. The Runners earned the lead at the next with the next two points, including a block from McCulloch and Froeschl, and a swift kill from Froeschl. The next four points went to WKU to force a timeout from the Runners. The WKU run extended to 6-0, and an 18-14 lead, before McCulloch's fourth kill snapped the stretch. The Toppers earned five of the next six points to take a 22-17 lead into the final UTSA timeout. UTSA got the point out of the break, behind McCulloch, but WKU was able to notch the three it needed for the win.
UTSA took three of the first four points behind kills from Smith, Froeschl and Teal. UTSA built a 4-2 lead behind a kill from Lopez and a pair of kills from Smith led to an 8-6 lead. WKU then used a 5-0 run to force UTSA's first timeout, leading 11-8. Two of the next four points went to UTSA, including kills from Froeschl and Lopez, to cut the lead to 13-10. UTSA used its last timeout, trailing 15-10. UTSA took two of the next three points out of the break, but WKU was able to stretch its lead to 18-13 and 21-14 to build a lead that allowed the 2-0 set lead.
In the third set, UTSA opened with the first points on the seventh kill from McCulloch. WKU then used a 5-1 run to take a 5-2 lead before Teal's eighth kill and a block from McCulloch and Froeschl cut the lead to 5-4. WKU took the lead to 9-4 before UTSA used its first timeout. UTSA took the next five points to cut the lead to 9-8 and force the first WKU timeout of the match, with an ace from Mia Perales, and kills from Froeschl and Natalya Chatham. UTSA was able to rally back to even the set at 13 after a great dig from Allison Vaughan led to a kill from Teal. Smith evened it at 14 with her seventh kill but WKU was able to take the next to get a 15-14 lead. UTSA took its first lead at 18-16 to force a WKU timeout. The Runners built the lead to 20-17 behind Emily Ramirez service, getting big kills from Chatham and Smith. UTSA took four of the next six points, to take a 24-19 lead after Smith's ninth kill. WKU earned the next three points to cut the lead to 24-22. A kill from Teal finished off the set win, 25-22.
The teams traded the first four points, with UTSA getting kills from McCulloch and Lopez. UTSA kept it even at four after kills from McCulloch and Chatham and a block from Froeschl and Smith evened the set at seven. Smith answered a WKU point with her 10th kill for an 8-8 tie. McCulloch's 12th kill cut the WKU lead to 11-10. Points from McCulloch, Chatham and Ramirez evened the set at 14 and Chatham gave UTSA the lead with her fifth kill. A block from Teal and Chatham gave UTSA a 16-14 lead but WKU rallied back with three straight. Smith's 11th kill and blocks from Smith and Froeschl gave UTSA an 18-17 lead. WKU notched three of the next four points to take a 20-19 lead and force a UTSA timeout. The teams were tied at 20, 21, 22 and 23, before WKU got to match point first.
- UTSA -
