SAN ANTONIO – UTSA dropped its Friday night match to No. 21 Rice at the Convocation Center in front of 687 fans, 3-0 (18-25, 12-25, 8-25).
UTSA (7-15, 2-8) lost its sixth straight to the nationally ranked Owls (19-2, 9-0) who, in turn, earned their fourth straight win.
First Set (Rice 25-18 UTSA)
The Roadrunners came out swinging in the first set, proving they were ready by jumping out to a 6-2 lead which forced a Rice timeout. The Owls regrouped and came out of the break on a 7-2 run to claim a 9-8 lead. No. 21 Rice was able to continue its momentum, keeping a narrow lead, which caused UTSA to take its first timeout as the set stood at 19-17. The Owls used the Roadrunner timeout as a springboard of their own, rattling off a 6-1 run and claiming set one. Cansu Günaydin notched six kills in the set for the 'Runners, a set-high for any UTSA athlete on the night.
Second Set (Rice 25-12 UTSA)
The Owls carried their late set-one scoring into the beginning of the second, going up 11-6 and forcing UTSA to call timeout. Rice didn't let up on the other side of the timeout, extending its lead to 20-9 and making the Roadrunners call their final timeout. The Owls would then finish the set on a 5-3 run, taking a 2-0 lead in the match. Rice's Anota Adekunle had seven kills in the set, a match-high for a single set, and Carly Graham had 13 assists, also a match-high for a single set.
Third Set (Rice 25-8 UTSA)
The Owls made sure to wrap things up in three, beginning the set on a 16-5 run and controlling the set from there. Günaydin finished with nine kills on the night and behind her was Alicia Coppedge who tallied eight. Mekaila Aupiu finished with 15 assists, her sixth-highest total on the year, while Ava Camacho added 17 digs to her season total.
Up Next
UTSA will hit the road for its next match, as it heads north up I-35 for its second meeting with the North Texas Mean Green this Sunday, Oct. 30. First serve is set for 1 p.m. and the match will be streamed on ESPN+.
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