SAN ANTONIO – The UTSA volleyball team split on the first day of the 2024 Roadrunners Classic, first sweeping Central Arkansas (25-23, 25-12, 26-24) before dropping a five-set nail-biter to Alabama (27-25, 24-26, 22-25, 25-22, 16-12) in the Convocation Center.
UTSA vs Central Arkansas
The Roadrunners (4-5, 0-0 The American) breezed past the Sugar Bears (1-6, 0-0 ASUN) as junior Caroline Krueger led the way, recording a double-double to the tune of 16 kills and 12 digs.
Not far behind, freshman Martina Franco posted 11 terminations, six digs and two aces, while sophomore Makenna Wiepert totaled 20 assists. Senior Aliah Giroux joined Krueger in the double-digit dig club with 12, and newcomer Caroline Tredwell boasted four blocks to pace the match. Also performing well, sophomore Kai Bailey logged six kills at an incredibly efficient .600 clip, and freshman Bailey Lechler made her collegiate debut.
UCA jumped out to a 5-0 lead to open the match before UTSA raced back to within one using consecutive Soerensen terminations, a Franco ace, and a Krueger block to work a 5-4 score line. A Franco kill shortly after knotted the contest at eight, kick-starting a back-and-forth battle that led to a 20-20 tie. Neither team could gain an inch until a successful Krueger attack helped break the deadlock ahead of another termination that saw a 25-23 victory.
A 5-0 run for UTSA put them up 8-4 in the second stanza, prompting a later spurt that allowed a Franco kill to secure a 15-7 advantage. Another surge put the 'Runners firmly in the driver's seat as a flurry of kills by Franco, Bailey, and Krueger saw a 20-10 score line. UTSA wasted no time cementing the win as a Giroux ace followed by a Wiepert kill capped things off, 25-12.
Looking to mount a comeback, the Sugar Bears kept things close throughout the third, eventually creating a win-by-two scenario with a 24-24 score. The Roadrunners persevered as consecutive successful Franco attacks resulted in a 26-24 victory as well as a sweep.
UTSA vs Alabama
The 'Runners fell to Alabama (7-1, 0-0 SEC) in the second match despite recording a .260 hitting percentage to the Crimsons Tide's .199 and outblocking the opposition 14-9.
Krueger recorded her third consecutive double-double with 25 digs and 13 kills, while Soerensen paced the match with 17 terminations, and freshman Ally Tribe recorded a career-high 16. Soerensen, Tredwell and Bailey all boasted six blocks, tying for the match lead, and Giroux anchored the defense with 17 digs of her own. Additionally, freshman Morgen Durgens topped the team with 30 assists, and sophomore Annika Sokol posted 22.
A Krueger kill early in the first set put UTSA up 7-3, however, the Crimson Tide raced back, working a 9-9 tie. The squads traded blows until an Alabama surge saw them take a 17-13 edge. The 'Runners then strung together four straight, allowing a Soerensen termination to knot things at 18. The Crimson Tide again snagged the lead, anda UTSA battled, with a successful attack by Tredwell creating a 23-23 stalemate. The battle raged on, prefacing an Alabama put away point, for a 27-25 win.
Alabama started the second stanza hot, but the Roadrunners fought, creating a 9-9 score line leading to a kill for Tredwell, a block for Bailey, and a Tribe termination saw a 12-9 lead. The Crimson Tide answered with a run of their own and again traded rallies en route to a 22-22 score. Tribe and Soerensen launched back-to-back successful attacks, putting UTSA in the driver's seat before Alabama tied things up. UTSA later prevailed as a Crimson Tide miscue prefaced a Bailey/Soerensen block for a 26-24 victory.
The Crimson Tide had another strong start, growing a 9-3 advantage, but the Roadrunners evened things off a four-point swing that featured multiple Soerensen scores. A Krueger kill shortly after put UTSA in front, and a Tredwell/Krueger block capped off a 25-22 win.
In a tightly contested fourth set, the two squads found themselves in a 20-20 tie, ahead of a Tredwell/Tribe block that handed the 'Runners a slim lead. The Crimson Tide then scored six of the final seven points in the frame, issuing a 25-22 score that forced a fifth set.
UTSA found themselves trailing 9-5 in the fifth but kept fighting, as a Wilbricht/Bailey block prompted terminations by Tribe and Wilbricht to tie things up. Putnicki sent an opposing attack back to put the 'Runners in front, before Alabama took control en route to a 15-12 victory that cemented the match.
The Roadrunners will return to the Convo on Saturday as they close out the Roadrunner Classic with a showdown against Sam Houston at 2 p.m. on Daddy Daughter Day.
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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