SAN ANTONIO — The UTSA volleyball program picked up their seventh consecutive American Athletic Conference win on Saturday, as they topped Tulsa 25-22, 25-22, 25-20 while celebrating Senior Day inside the Convocation Center.
The Roadrunners (15-11, 8-7 AAC) took down the Golden Hurricane (13-14, 6-9 AAC) in straight sets as senior Alicia Coppedge paced UTSA in points for the second straight match. She posted a squad-high 15 kills at a .519 clip, with senior Cansu Günaydin not far behind, logging 12 and sophomore Mia Soerensen 10.
Junior Ellie Turner anchored the defense with 27 digs, marking back-to-back matches she's led. Senior Aliah Giroux also performed well, boasting 13, and sophomore Caroline Krueger 12. Junior Mekaila Aupiu, meanwhile, was one dig shy of a double-double, recording 37 assists. Additionally, freshman Miranda Putnicki was the match leader in blocks, with four.
The 'Runners started strong with multiple kills by Soerensen and Coppedge, affording the squad a 7-2 lead. Tulsa battled back to within one and eventually tied the first set at 18 apiece. Coppedge and Günaydin worked back-to-back kills, but the Golden Hurricane answered en route to a 22-22 score line. Soerensen then launched a pair of successful attacks ahead of a Tulsa miscue that allowed UTSA to claim the set, 25-22.
Terminations for Krueger and Coppedge helped keep the 'Runners in the fight after Tulsa took a 6-3 advantage early in the second. The squads exchanged blows until a Krueger ace capped off a five-score UTSA rally that saw the Roadrunners take an 18-13 lead. The Golden Hurricane fought back, knotting the frame at 20 and forcing a UTSA timeout. The teams again traded points, resulting in a 22-22 score, ahead of a Soerensen kill, a Coppedge termination, and an ace by E. Turner for a 25-22 Roadrunner victory.
Multiple spurts put Tulsa up 12-10 in the third set before Krueger and Coppedge logged kills to tie the contest. Aupiu, Kreuger, and Günaydin all launched successful attacks in a five-point surge that put UTSA in the driver's seat. Freshman Makenna Wiepert then sent a service ace over the net for a 20-15 Roadrunner lead. UTSA then polished off the contest with back-to-back Coppedge terminations, securing a 25-20 win as well as the match.
UTSA will now hit the road as they visit Wichita, Kansas, for a match against Wichita State at 7 p.m. on Friday and will meet the Shockers again on Saturday at 1 p.m.
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.
-UTSA-