SAN ANTONIO – Senior Alicia Coppedge and the UTSA volleyball team made history in the Convocation Center on Sunday, as the ‘Runners boasted 23.0 total blocks across a 25-23, 10-25, 25-19, 21-25, 15-7 victory over South Florida. UTSA’s blocking total represents a new school rally-scoring era record, while Coppedge posted 13 blocks for a program single-match record.
The Roadrunners (8-15, 2-8 The American) knocked off the Bulls (12-9, 8-2 The American), who entered the match as the top team in the conference.
In addition to Coppedge, UTSA saw blocks from sophomore Miranda Putnicki (9), classmate Kai Bailey (8), redshirt junior Mia Soerensen (5), junior Caroline Krueger (4), freshman Ally Tribe (3), and senior Faye Wilbricht (2) en route to the record. Also making an impact defensively, sophomore Peyton Turner scooped a team-high 15 digs to help hold the opposition to a .117 hitting percentage.
Freshman Morgen Durgens logged a double-double with 15 assists and 10 digs, while sophomore Annika Sokol dished out 12 helpers. Krueger and Tribe provided the bulk of the offense, with Krueger charting 11 kills and Tribe 10.
USF jumped out to an 8-5 lead in the first frame, but a Soerensen kill shortly after pulled UTSA within one. The Bulls then rattled off five straight to take a 15-9 advantage, but UTSA didn’t quit, clawing their way back into their set courtesy of multiple Bailey terminations. A Krueger kill knotted the stanza at 21, and the squads exchanged blows until a successful Coppedge attack and a USF miscue resulted in a 25-23 Roadrunner win.
The Bulls never looked back after building a commanding 13-2 lead in the second, prompting a 25-10 win.
USF again took an early edge, this time taking a 9-4 lead. The ‘Runners then embarked on a 9-2 run that handed them a 13-11 advantage. UTSA kept the opposition at arms-length for the remainder of the period, with blocks by Bailey and Tribe leading to a 25-19 victory.
After a back-and-forth start to the fourth, USF found a four-point edge that they maintained until the finish, snagging the set 25-21.
UTSA came out on fire in the fifth, with a Soerensen/Coppedge block sparking a 6-0 rally that featured multiple Tribe terminations. The Bulls finally broke the ‘Runners serve, but Tribe again launched a successful attack, and a later Bailey kill saw a 10-3 UTSA lead. Shortly after, a Soerensen kill polished off the match, with the Roadrunners winning 15-7.
The ‘Runners will be back in action on Friday as they visit Tulane for a 5:30 p.m. match at the Devlin Fieldhouse. UTSA then returns to the Convocation Center on Sunday, where they’ll face Rice at 1 p.m.
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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