SAN ANTONIO – To open American Conference play, UTSA Volleyball hosted Tulane (9-2, 1-0 AMER) from the Convocation Center on Friday. The Roadrunners’ comeback attempt fell just short against the Green Wave, dropping a five set-affair (24-26, 25-20, 18-25, 27-25, 5-15). With the loss, Carol Price-Torok’s bunch dipped to 9-3 overall and 0-1 in league play, snapping an eight-match winning streak.
FIRST SET
The Green Wave back line held firm early on, totaling 14 digs before the media timeout as they took a four-point edge into the stoppage. Ledisi Kpea then made her mark on the match, adding a block and two kills before three different Roadrunners found the floor to even things at 19-19. Isabella Arroyave picked up where she left off in Houston, notching four first-set kills with seven digs as she earned a seventh straight start. Her side pulled ahead 24-23, but the visitors took three straight to close things at 26-24, amassing 20 digs and holding UTSA to a .190 hitting percentage in the process.
SECOND SET
Kpea maintained her momentum with two more terminations and a block while Caroline Tredwell poured in her side’s first ace to take a 7-2 lead early on. Arroyave then followed up with a kill and a rejection on consecutive points before Valeria Ortiz took to the service line. The senior came up with an ace of her own and dialed up Tredwell for a pair of kills that sent her side to the media stoppage up six. In a stanza plagued by 10 service errors from both sides down the stretch, UTSA earned its final six points courtesy of Tulane miscues, including a fitting long serve to cap things at 25-20.
THIRD SET
After a Makinsey Jones kill and Megan Hawkins’ first ace of the evening pushed the ‘Runners ahead 6-4, the Green Wave stormed back to take eight of the ensuing nine rallies, aided by three aces. Despite three ensuing misplaced Tulane serves, the hosts failed to pull back within four the rest of the way. The Navy & Orange racked up eight kills to the opposition’s 14, falling 25-18 despite 23 team digs in the set.
FOURTH SET
Both offenses came out scorching, planting 17 total kills en route to an 11-all stalemate. A Green Wave ace gave them a one-point edge at the technical timeout, but the ‘Runners hung in the fight, forcing 17 ties and swapping leads six times during a back-and-forth frame. A crucial challenge from Price-Torok kept her side alive at 25-25, avoiding defeat after review for a touch on Caroline Tredwell’s eighth kill. The junior came out of the stoppage and ended a lengthy rally with a thrilling solo block that sent nearly 1,000 members of the Navy & Orange faithful into a frenzy. One point later, Arroyave found the floor to cap the evening’s second set past regulation and bring about a decisive fifth frame.
FIFTH SET
A pair of aces from Derek Schroeder’s bunch put them ahead 6-1 and secured their final lead. Two Ledisi Kpea kills were not enough to mount a comeback as the Green Wave hit .533 and ran away by a 15-5 margin.
NUMBERS OF NOTE
- UTSA’s eight-match winning streak came to an end on Friday, snapping its longest such stretch since 2016.
- Isabella Arroyave secured her third double-double in four matches with 12 digs and a team-high 13 kills against the Green Wave.
- Valeria Ortiz and Alyssa Manitzas shared the team lead with 13 digs apiece versus Tulane.
- The former matched her career high with 28 assists in the loss, adding an ace and her second block assist of the season.
- Ledisi Kpea followed up her eight-block outing against Texas State with six more (including a solo rejection) on Friday.
- The first-year Roadrunner now paces her squad with 1.20 blocks per set this fall.
- Tulane posted 19 service errors as a team, setting a new UTSA single-match opponent high.
- The ‘Runners are now 5-1 at home and 3-1 in five-set matches, dropping their first such contest in either category.
- Friday’s attendance of 956 set a Convocation Center high in 2026, surpassing the previous high of 732 against East Texas A&M on Sept. 11.
- Only UTSA’s opening-weekend match at Arkansas saw a larger crowd on hand (1,127) than Friday’s bout.
UP NEXT
On Sunday, the American slate rolls on as at UTSA looks to finish the weekend at .500 in league play. The Roadrunners host Florida Atlantic (7-5, 0-1 AMER) for a 1 p.m. matinee matchup from the Convocation Center. All the action against the Owls will be streamed live on ESPN+ and available to follow live via utsa.statbroadcast.com.
For complete coverage of UTSA Volleyball during the 2026 season, visit goutsa.com. On social media, follow the Roadrunners on Twitter/X (@UTSAvolleyball), Instagram (utsa_vb) and Facebook (UTSA Volleyball).
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