Isabella Arroyave Celebrates During Thursday Home Victory Over UIW (Sept. 3, 2026 - San Antonio, Texas)Isabella Arroyave Celebrates During Thursday Home Victory Over UIW (Sept. 3, 2026 - San Antonio, Texas)
Dylan Treviño
Volleyball

Twelve blocks guide UTSA to five-set rivalry win

Box Score

SAN ANTONIO – On Thursday morning, UTSA Volleyball hosted UIW in an intracity matchup from the Convocation Center. The Roadrunners prevailed in five sets, improving to 2-2 on the young campaign. Sydney Bryant led the way with 18 kills while her side totaled a season-high 12 blocks. The visiting Cardinals (0-3) suffered their first five-set defeat of 2026 and remain in search of their first victory.

Set-by-set: UTSA wins 3-2 (25-17, 22-25, 25-19, 12-25, 15-8)

FIRST SET

Facing an immediate three-point hole, Caroline Tredwell notched a pair of blocks to go with a Megan Hawkins ace. Meanwhile, Sydney Bryant started off perfect, landing five kills on her first five swings as the ‘Runners pulled ahead 15-12 at the media stoppage. Tredwell’s fourth block of the opening frame then sparked a 4-0 run from the hosts that forced a timeout from the UIW bench down 22-14. Tribe followed up with two kills before Ledisi Kpea’s termination capped things off at 25-17.

SECOND SET

In a blink, a Cardinal ace pushed them ahead 10-2 as Carol Price-Torok called for time early. Five different Roadrunners landed kills as UIW errors helped the hosts draw within five at 18-13. Gigi Mason then found the floor three times in short order before Bryant pulled within one at 23-22, but the comeback attempt fell short there for a final margin of 25-22.

THIRD SET

Despite the stanza being marked by just three ties and no lead changes, little separation was created from either side before a deadlock at a dozen all. Bryant found her groove again with a trio of blocks and a kill leading into the media timeout. Kpea’s subsequent block and kill on consecutive points were sandwiched by three more Cardinal errors, swelling the margin to four. Brooke Elliott landed her squad’s lone termination down the stretch as a UIW error capped the frame at 25-19.

FOURTH SET

Three early blocks gave the visitors a 9-1 edge that they never relinquished. From there, UTSA failed to cut the margin any closer than seven points, hitting just .036 while finishing without a block for the only time on Thursday. UIW forced a decisive fifth set with a convincing 25-12 fourth frame victory.

FIFTH SET

A 5-2 UTSA swing was capped off by an Isabella Arroyave block, forcing a visiting timeout down 6-3. After knotting things up at six all, three Cardinal miscues bookended kills from Arroyave and Elliott, stretching a slim 10-8 lead in favor of the hosts. From there, Caroline Tredwell sent herself back to the service line with a kill. The junior landed two aces in a match-deciding 5-0 run, setting up match point with her second serve. Sydney Bryant obliterated the last set of the afternoon from Ortiz, landing her 18th kill straight to the floor for a raucous 15-8 win.

NUMBERS OF NOTE

  • The Roadrunners’ .224 hitting percentage was their highest in a match this fall.
  • For the third straight match, Sydney Bryant paced her squad in kills, tallying 18 to go with four blocks and a pair of digs.
  • Gigi Mason posted 12 kills in the win, joining Bryant as the lone other Roadrunner to surpass double digits.
  • Valeria Ortiz and Megan Hawkins shared setter responsibilities, totaling 28 and 24 assists, respectively.
  • Ortiz narrowly missed out on her second double-double of the season, adding nine digs against UIW.
  • Caroline Tredwell collected seven blocks in the win, leading all individuals on Thursday and posting a single-match high by any Roadrunner in 2026.
  • A season ago, UTSA surpassed 12 blocks just twice, doing so at Idaho (Sept. 12) and North Texas (Oct. 8).
  • The Navy & Orange last amassed at least a dozen rejections in the Convocation Center on Nov. 10, 2024, tallying 12 in a sweep of Florida Atlantic.
  • Ledisi Kpea finished the afternoon with nine kills and five blocks, hitting .312 in the process.
  • Among Roadrunners with at least 25 attempts, Brooke Elliott now leads the charge with a .394 hitting percentage this season.
  • The graduate opposite hitter posted eight kills for the second straight match, adding four blocks of her own.
  • Giada Obregon paced her side in digs for the third straight match, nabbing 17 against the Cardinals.
  • Isabella Arroyave made an appearance off the bench, racking up five kills on a .200 hitting percentage.
  • The third-year Roadrunner set two career highs on Thursday, posting 10 digs and two blocks to double both previous individual bests.

UP NEXT

The ‘Runners are slated to welcome Tarleton State (1-3) to the Convocation Center on Friday for a 6 p.m. matchup. UTSA (2-2) looks to climb above .500 and remain unblemished at home as the Texans roll in. All the action will be streamed live on ESPN+ and available to follow 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).

-UTSA-