TULSA, Okla. – The UTSA volleyball program secured a 25-23, 21-25, 25-17, 25-20 American Athletic Conference victory over Tulsa at the Reynolds Center on Friday.
The Roadrunners (10-18, 4-11 The American) bested the Golden Hurricane (17-10, 9-6 The American), as sophomore Kai Bailey recorded 12 kills at a .375 clip with five blocks, and junior Mia Soerensen managed 11 terminations and six blocks. Sophomore Annika Sokol posted a match-high 27 assists, while senior Alicia Coppedge blocked 10 of the opposition's attacks. Also aiding the defense, freshman Ally Tribe totaled 20 digs, with sophomore Peyton Turner charting 19 and Sokol 16.
Neither team could gain an inch midway through the first, as the squads battled toward a 15-15 tie. From there, back-to-back blocks for Coppedge put UTSA in front, but the Golden Hurricane replied for an 18-18 deadlock. Shortly after, consecutive terminations for Tribe and a later Bailey termination saw a 24-22 score line favoring the 'Runners. Tulsa found a kill before a Golden Hurricane error handed UTSA a 25-23 win.
Tulsa scored six straight for an 11-5 lead in the second stanza and eventually worked a 22-13 edge. UTSA then scored six of the subsequent seven points to pull within three. The Golden Hurricane, however, secured a 25-21 victory.
It was all UTSA in the third, as kills for senior Faye Wilbricht, junior Caroline Krueger, and Bailey helped the team snag a 12-7 lead. A later 8-1 surge resulted in a 23-14 score, ahead of a 25-17 win.
The battle raged on with a 12-12 tie in the fourth before a Bailey kill, Tribe ace, and Wilbricht block helped UTSA work a 20-16 edge. The 'Runners quickly sealed the deal with a termination for Soerensen and a Golden Hurricane miscue seeing a 25-20 victory.
UTSA will now wrap up the season with a 1 p.m. contest against Wichita State on Sunday.
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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