NORFOLK, Va. – The UTSA volleyball team officially began the 2024 season on Friday, falling in four sets to William & Mary, before suffering a three-set defeat at the hands of Old Dominion on day one of the Quest for the Crown tournament at the ODU Volleyball Center.
UTSA vs William & Mary
Redshirt senior Aliah Giroux posted a match-high 19 digs as UTSA fell to William & Mary 26-24, 25-21, 25-27, 25-21 in the 2024 season’s inaugural match.
Freshman Caroline Tredwell performed well, pacing UTSA with 12 kills, and senior Faye Wilbricht joined her in the double-digit kill club, logging 11. Junior Mia Soerensen posted seven terminations and recorded four blocks, tying sophomore Kai Bailey for the team lead. Classmate Makenna Wiepert dished out 23 assists, while newcomer Morgen Durgens recorded 16. Additionally, freshman Martina Franco dug 10 of the opposition’s attacks as she, Isabella Arroyave, Ally Tribe, and Annika Sokol joined Tredwell and Durgens in making their debut for UTSA.
Kills by Tribe and Franco opened the contest before W & M claimed eight of the following nine rallies for an 8-3 lead. UTSA clawed its way back into the match, with a Wilbricht termination sparking a five-score surge that allowed a block by Franco and Bailey to work a 15-14 Roadrunner edge. The squads exchanged blows for the remainder of the period as Soerensen and Bailey combined for a block, resulting in a 24-23 ‘Runner lead. W & M, however, scored three straight to take a 26-24 win.
W & M started the second stanza strong, building a 13-7 advantage before UTSA raced back. An Arroyave ace pulled the squad within three, and shortly after, a setter dump for Wiepert knotted the contest at 20. W & M, however, ended the period on a 5-1 run that secured a 25-21 victory.
A back-and-forth start in the third was broken by a Wiepert ace and a Wilbricht/Tredwell block that put the ‘Runners up 12-9. W & M hung tough, eventually tying the contest ahead of a 24-20 lead. Tredwell then bookended a 4-0 UTSA run that forced a win-by-two situation. W & M grabbed the advantage before kills by Wilbricht and Arroyave prompted an errant W & M attack that handed the Roadrunners a 27-25 win.
W & M, however, bounced back in the fourth, building a 14-6 lead that they didn’t relinquish en route to a 25-21 score that cemented their four-set victory.
UTSA at Old Dominion
Despite solid defensive performances from Giroux and Bailey, the ‘Runners fell to the Monarchs, 25-20, 25-20, 25-23.
Giroux topped the match in digs, charting 13, while Bailey joined her as a stat leader, blocking five of the opposition’s attacks. Soerensen provided the bulk of the UTSA offense, launching 11 successful attacks for a stellar .529 hitting percentage. Durgens and Wiepert split setting duties, with Durgens dishing out 15 assists and Wiepert 10.
Neither squad could gain an inch in the first set, exchanging blows until ODU broke a 16-16 deadlock with a three-point run. They then kept UTSA at arm’s length for the remainder of the period, cruising to a 25-20 win.
Similarly, the squads traded scores early in the second, ahead of a Wilbricht kill and an ace by Tribe that saw an 8-6 Roadrunner lead. ODU replied, knotting the contest at 12 and claiming a 16-12 advantage via a five-point swing. Another termination for Tribe brought the ‘Runners back within two, reflecting a 20-18 score line. Not to be deterred, the Monarchs again finished strong, taking the set 25-20.
ODU jumped out to an 8-3 lead early in the third, but UTSA kept fighting, using kills by Bailey, Franco, Wilbricht and Soerensen to tie things up, 14-14. The Monarchs scored the next four, to which UTSA responded with a six-point rally of their own capped off by a Tribe ace. Now trailing 20-18, ODU scored seven of the final 10 points to take a 25-23 win as well as the match.
The ‘Runners will conclude the Quest for the Crown on Saturday, with a 9 a.m. CT contest against Marist on the docket.
Keep up with UTSA Volleyball on goutsa.com, and by following the program on Facebook at /UTSAVBall, Twitter @UTSAVolleyball, and on Instagram @utsa_vb.
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