SAN ANTONIO– UTSA cruised in a 3-0 sweep of UTRGV in the UTSA Classic presented by Courtyard by Marriott at the Rim.
With the 25-22, 25-16, 25-11 victory, the Roadrunners improved to 2-4 on the season and 1-1 in the tournament. The Vaqueros dropped to 4-2 overall and 1-1 on the weekend.
As a team, UTSA hit .296, converting 45 of 108 attacks, while limiting UTRGV to .169 (24 of 89).
Sophomore Kirby Smith and freshmen Bianca Ejesieme and Jenna Patton recorded a match high nine kills apiece. All three Roadrunners finished with a hitting percentage of .400 or higher, including Patton's .727 (9 of 11).
Freshman setter Courtney Walters extended her streak of double-digit assists to open her Roadrunner career at five matches. Sophomore Mia Perales added 15 assists and senior Emily Ramirez collected a match best 13 digs.
Set 1:
Both sides got off to a hot start early, converting nearly 40 percent of their attacking attempts. UTSA held a slight advantage at 9-5 before pulling away with a 9-4 run, doubling up UTRGV at 18-9. The visitors responded, trimming the deficit to 22-18, with a 9-4 spurt of their own and forcing a Roadrunner timeout. Kills by Hannah Lopez, Ejesieme and Brianna McCulloch salted away the victory.
Set: 2
The middle set of the match included five ties and three lead changes as teams battled to a 9-9 draw through the early going. UTSA built a 22-13 cushion curtesy of a 13-4 run, before the visitors slowed the momentum, running off three in a row. A service error by UTRGV pushed the advantage out to 23-16. A service ace by Perales and a put away spike by Madeline McKay gave the Roadrunners a 2-0 edge as the teams went to intermission.
Set: 3
Much like the previous set, the bout remained tight through the early going. The Vaqueros had no answer for Patton, who converted six of her seven attempts in the set. UTSA held a slim edge at 8-7 before closing with a 17-4 run.
The Roadrunners return to the court at 7:30 p.m. when they host Maryland in the final match of the tournament.
