TULSA, Okla. – In a match the featured late-set rallies, UTSA outlasted Tulsa at the Reynolds Center Friday.
The Roadrunners bookended day one of the Tulsa Invitational with a 3-1 (23-25, 26-24, 25-19, 26-24) win over the hosts in the nightcap. After matching the four-set win in the tournament opener, UTSA improved to 4-4 on the season, while the Golden Hurricanes dropped to 1-1 on the day and 5-4 overall.
Bianca Ejesieme and Brianna McCulloch sparked the Roadrunners offense with 11 kills each, while Kirby Smith (10 kills, 14 digs) posted her fourth double-double in eight contests.
Entering the contests on a four-match winning streak, Tulsa grabbed the early lead, winning the first set in comeback fashion. The Roadrunners evened the clash at one game apiece at the intermission.
In a nip-and-tuck opening game, neither team owned more than a three-point advantage until Tulsa ran off the final seven and grabbing the early 1-0 lead.
UTSA captured early control in the second game, holding leads of 10-4 and 23-17 before the Golden Hurricanes made a furious rally, scoring seven of the next eight points and squaring the match at 24-24. Hannah Lopez's kill gave the guest the advantage and an attacking error by the home side provided the two-point cushion and evened the match at one-set apiece before intermission.
After the break, the Roadrunners rode the momentum out to an early cushion and was within two points of grabbing their first lead in the match. Tulsa appeared poised for another uprising with a kill and a block trimmed the deficit to 23-19. Kills by Ejesieme and Lopez thwarted the Golden Hurricanes assault and secured a 2-1 edge.
Set four resembled the opener as neither team sustained any runs and the match was deadlocked at 17-17 after the Roadrunners Mia Ybarra dropped her serve inside the back line for an ace. Trying to force a fifth and decisive set, Tulsa outscored UTSA 7-3 and held three set points but back-to-back kills by McCulloch forced a timeout by the home team, which held a 24-22 edge. Lopez's ace thwarted a third attempt at the clincher and pulled her team within one. Consecutive miscue's by Tulsa forced a timeout and facing match point. Lopez ended the day with another ace.
Courtney Walters tallied 24 assists, extending her double-digit streak to eight matches to open her freshman campaign. Mia Perales added 17 helpers, while Emily Ramirez led the squad with 18 digs.
UTSA held Tulsa to a .104 hitting percentage (41-27-136), while the Roadrunners converted 52 of their 142 opportunities.
The Roadrunners conclude their weekend with Houston Baptist Saturday at 11 a.m.
