DALLAS — Courtney Walters had 26 assists and Bianca Ejesieme and Alison Jennings posted seven kills apiece, but UTSA dropped a three-set decision to SMU, 25-20, 25-19, 25-12, on Thursday night at Moody Coliseum.
The Roadrunners saw their record fall to 2-2 on the season after the first of two straight meetings with the Mustangs (3-0).
Walters added seven digs to her 26-assist night, while Kirby Smith and Hunter Coppola added five kills each for the Roadrunners. Mia Ybarra paced the visitors in digs with 15.
SMU, which was coming off a two-match sweep of Rice, hit .363 for the match and was led by Jadyn Bauss and Hannah Jacobs, who registered 13 and 12 kills, respectively, while Lily Heim turned in 40 assists.
The Mustangs took a 16-12 lead in the opening set, only to see the Roadrunners reel off five straight points and claim a one-point advantage after back-to-back kills by Smith. After the score was knotted at 18-all, SMU surged late with a 7-2 run to secure the set and take a 1-0 lead in the match.
A block by Coppola and Jessica Langridge staked UTSA to a 5-3 advantage early in the second frame. However, the Mustangs won four consecutive points to take a 7-5 lead, one they would not relinquish in a 25-19 decision.
SMU led wire to wire in the third set, storming out to an 11-4 advantage en route to a 25-12 victory to seal the match.
The two teams will face each other again at 2 p.m. Friday at Moody Coliseum. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
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