SAN ANTONIO — The UTSA volleyball program suffered a 25-16, 25-23, 25-16 setback at the hands of South Florida in American Athletic Conference action on Friday. 1,141 fans packed the Convocation Center as the 'Runners hosted a Barbie-themed Pink Out in support of breast cancer awareness, marking the highest-attended home volleyball match since a contest against Texas State on Sep. 11, 2018.
The Roadrunners (8-9, 1-5 AAC) couldn't overcome a potent Bulls (11-6, 5-1 AAC) squad, despite out-blocking their opponent.
Senior Alicia Coppedge thwarted six of the opposition's attacks, sophomore Mia Soerensen five, and classmate Katelyn Krienke four. Additionally, senior Aliah Giroux recorded double-digit digs in the effort.
The Bulls jumped out to an 8-5 lead early in the first frame before UTSA strung together three straight as a combination block by junior Cheyenne Hlady and Coppedge knotted the contest at eight. USF then won the subsequent eight rallies to take a 15-8 edge, prompting a UTSA timeout. The Bulls then finished off the set, working a 25-16 win.
Back-to-back blocks for Soerensen and Krienke helped the Roadrunners to a 5-2 advantage to open the second stanza. USF battled back, eventually taking an 11-9 lead. A 6-1 UTSA run followed, with multiple Coppedge kills and a termination for sophomore Caroline Krueger, resulting in a 15-12 Roadrunner edge. A solo block for Krienke shortly after capped off a four-point UTSA swing and saw a 19-14 UTSA lead. However, USF responded, eventually knotting the set at 21 before claiming a 25-23 victory.
USF started the third set off hot, claiming seven of the first 10 rallies before taking a 16-8 lead midway through the frame. The Bulls then polished off their win, with a 25-16 score line handing them the match.
UTSA will be back in action on Saturday, as they host Temple with first serve set for 1 p.m. in the Convo.
Keep up with UTSA Volleyball all season long on goutsa.com, and by following the program on Facebook at /UTSAVBall, Twitter @UTSAVolleyball, and on Instagram @utsa_vb.
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