CHARLOTTE – The UTSA Volleyball team fell 20-25, 25-23, 25-20, 11-25, 15-13 to Charlotte in American Athletic Conference action at Halton Arena on Sunday.
The Roadrunners (6-11, 0-4 The American) fell to the 49ers (4-13, 1-3 The American) despite double-doubles by junior Caroline Krueger, sophomore Annika Sokol and freshman Morgen Durgens.
Krueger recorded 16 kills at a .357 clip to go with 11 digs, while Sokol scooped 14 of the opposition's attacks and dished out 26 assists. Durgens tallied 21 helpers with 10 digs, and junior Mia Soerensen led the way with 4.0 blocks. Additionally, senior Aliah Giroux paced the match with 16 digs, and sophomore Peyton Turner managed 13.
A freshman Ally Tribe termination, a newcomer Caroline Tredwell kill and a senior Faye Wilbricht ace handed UTSA a 10-5 advantage to begin the first frame. From there, CLT battled back to within three, ahead of another successful Tredwell attack that saw a 20-16 score line. The 'Runners then took the set, 25-20, as a Soerensen kill capped off the set.
In the second stanza, a three-point swing resulted in a 10-7 49er edge, and a later spurt put them up 16-11. UTSA rattled off three straight as sophomore Kai Bailey, Tredwell and freshman Martina Franco worked a 20-17 score, still favoring CLT. The 49ers reached set point, but UTSA kept fighting as a Krueger kill and a CLT miscue pulled the 'Runners within two. Krueger and Bailey combined for a block before the 49ers found the put-away point for a 25-23 win.
Kills for Soerensen and Bailey gave UTSA a slim lead in the third, prompting a 49er run that saw a 13-13 tie. Neither team could gain an inch until Charlotte surged for four points, swiping a 25-20 victory.
The 'Runners started off hot in the fourth, scoring eight of the first 10 points. UTSA never looked back, cruising to a 25-11 win that forced a fifth and final set.
Charlotte jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the deciding frame, inducing a Roadrunner timeout. Coming out of the break, UTSA surged with a Giroux ace seeing a 6-6 tie. Shortly after, the 49ers surged for a trio of kills, building a 9-7 lead. Not to be deterred, the Roadrunners sparked a rally of their own, using consecutive Kreuger kills to trim their deficit to one. With the score board now reading 13-12, Charlotte found a way to close things out, earning a 15-13 victory.
UTSA will now return to the Convocation Center with a Wednesday Student Appreciation clash against Tulane at 6 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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