TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – UTSA dropped its season-opening volleyball match Friday morning, falling to Southern Mississippi in three straight sets (25-23, 25-21, 25-16).
The Roadrunners and Golden Eagles played two back and forth sets before USM ran away with the third and final set of the day.
Cansu Günaydin led the Roadrunners with 11 kills in the match and added an ace and four digs to her stat line. Amanda Ifeanyi chipped in 10 kills of her own, tallying a .500 attacking percentage and assisting on three blocks.
Mekaila Aupiu had 30 assists across the three sets along with four kills and three digs. Mia Ybarra recorded 16 digs while Ava Camacho tallied 11 to pace UTSA.
Set One (USM: 25-23: UTSA)
The first set was a back-and-forth affair which saw 12 different ties and 10 lead changes between the two squads. As mentioned, the Roadrunners and Golden Eagles were in lock step through the first portion of the first set. The 12 ties all took place prior to 16-16, as that was where USM grabbed the lead for good. UTSA never trailed by more than two all set.
Set Two (USM: 25-21: UTSA)
The second set was more of the same for the former Conference USA opponents. The Golden Eagles jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead, only to see it erased almost immediately as the Roadrunners tied the set up at five-all. USM never surrendered the lead after that point though as it held UTSA at bay for the remainder of the set, eventually winning the set by four.
Set Three (USM: 25-16: UTSA)
The Golden Eagles carried their momentum from the first two sets into the third, as they began the set off strong again taking a quick 5-0 lead. USM then built on the early success and pushed its lead to 10-2. The Roadrunners had a rally in them though as they came storming back, rattling off an 8-2 run to pull within two of Southern Miss. USM countered with runs of their own, holding UTSA at arm's length for the remainder of the set and claiming the match win.
Up Next
The Roadrunners will be back at Foster Auditorium later tonight, August 26, as they take on host program Alabama in their second game of the Crimson Tide Invitational. Tonight's match against the Crimson Tide will begin at 7 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.
- UTSA -
