SAN ANTONIO – Across Friday and Saturday, the UTSA volleyball team is set to host the UTSA Invitational, which will see Holy Cross, Abilene Christian and UIW all head to the Convocation Center.
The ‘Runners will face Holy Cross on Friday at 10 a.m., ahead of a 7 p.m. Educator’s Appreciation contest with Abilene Christian. A Hometown Heroes matchup with UIW will then conclude the tournament at 2 p.m. on Saturday. As a part of the festivities, UTSA will run a school supply drive on Friday, and local first responders will be recognized on Saturday.
The Roadrunners (1-3, 0-0 The American) will look to bounce back after falling to Texas State on Wednesday (26-24, 19-25, 25-23, 25-16) in a matchup that saw 1,245 fans pack the Convo for the fourth-largest home crowd in program history.
Junior Mia Soerensen was stellar for UTSA, recording a match-high 16 kills and five blocks. Freshman Martina Franco also was solid, recording the first double-double of her collegiate career to the tune of 10 digs and 10 kills.
The Crusaders (1-2, 0-0 Patriot) picked up a four-set win over Siena (20-25, 25-123, 25-15, 28-26) before falling to Stonehill (20-25, 25-20, 26-24, 23-25, 15-10) and Purdue Fort Wayne (19-25, 25-19, 25-17, 23-25, 16-14) at the Skyhawk Invitational.
Gracie Reisman was named to the all-tournament team and was crowned Patriot League Player of the Week for her troubles after touting a team-high 43 kills at a .451 clip. Katie Russell posted 73 assists over the weekend, while Emma Halstead recorded 54 digs and Lauren Halverson 13.0 blocks.
The Wildcats (1-2, 0-0 WAC) had a similar weekend suffering losses to No. 23 Baylor (25-11, 25-17, 25-14) and Tulsa (25-20, 25-17, 25-21), with a lone win coming against Campbell (17-25, 25-21, 25-17, 25-22) at the Baylor Classic.
Izabelle Larson, Bryley Steinhilber and Hannah Gonzalez provided the bulk of ACU’s offense, all recording over 20 terminations, with Gonzalez topping the team and boasting 11 blocks. Larson also led the team in digs, scooping 28 of the opposition attacks, and Madeline Guffy dished out 55 helpers.
Rounding out the group, the Cardinals (2-1, 0-0 SLC) are the lone squad carrying a winning record into the tournament following victories over Sam Houston (25-21, 25-19, 25-23) and Prairie View A&M (25-15, 16-25, 25-22, 25-12) as well as a loss to Stephen F. Austin (25-21, 25-19, 25-19) at the Sam Houston Tournament.
Risa Sena was the team leader with 30 kills, and Calissa Allison was not far behind with 27. Allison also tied Anugea Faitau with 48 assists for the most on the squad, and her 36 digs were just two behind Audrey Patton.
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