SAN ANTONIO – The UTSA Volleyball team fell just short of a reverse sweep on Saturday, suffering a 25-16, 25-15, 17-25, 22-25, 17-15 loss at the hands of UIW on the final day of the UTSA Invitational.
The Roadrunners (3-4, 0-0 The American) couldn’t complete the comeback against the Cardinals (5-1, 0-0 Southland), as junior Mia Soerensen posted a game-high 20 kills.
Freshman Martina Franco and junior Caroline Krueger weren’t far behind, logging 17 and 11. The pair also recorded a double-double, with Franco logging 11 digs and Krueger 19, while sophomore Makenna Wiepert dished out 33 assists and scooped 20 of the opposition’s attacks. Additionally, senior Aliah Giroux was the match leader with 27 digs.
UIW used a five-point rally to break a 7-7 deadlock early in the first set, ahead of back-to-back kills by senior Faye Wilbricht and Franco for a 12-9 score line. The Cardinals then took eight of the following 10 points to go up 20-11. Shortly after, UIW polished off the frame, 25-16.
Similarly, the Cardinals started the second stanza with a 10-4 advantage, and a later spurt increased their lead to nine. UIW wasted no time securing the set with a 25-15 win.
UTSA strung together six straight in the third to take a 9-6 edge. The ‘Runners kept the Cardinals at bay, winning the race to 20 with a Soerensen kill, putting the squad up five. Consecutive Wilbricht terminations put UTSA a point away from victory, and a Cardinal miscue saw a 25-17 score line that forced a fourth set.
The ‘Runners carried the momentum into the following frame, growing a 7-2 lead before UIW raced back, knotting the contest at 11. After trading scores, UTSA scored five straight in a flurry that saw kills for Franco, Wilbricht, and Krueger. Now up 20-15, the Roadrunners held off a Cardinal comeback as a Soerensen kill saw a 25-22 win, sending the match into a fifth frame.
An ace and kill for Soerensen put UTSA up 6-3, forcing a UIW timeout to start the fifth. Another termination for Soerensen resulted in an 11-6 score line. The Cardinals fought back, eventually working a 13-13 tie and a win-by-two scenario. After exchanging blows, UIW finally broke the deadlock, taking a 17-15 victory and the match.
UTSA will remain in the Convocation Center, hosting the Roadrunner Classic on Friday and Saturday, with Alabama, Central Arkansas, and Sam Houston all headed for the Alamo City.
As a part of the event, Soerensen and Wiepert were named to the all-tournament team, with Soerensen averaging 3.82 kills per set, converting 42 attacks at a .352 clip with nine blocks. Wiepert, meanwhile, dished out 67 assists out of a 6-2 with 41 digs, six kills, a block, and a service ace.
The complete UTSA Invitational All-Tournament Team can be found below:
MVP – Calissa Allison (UIW)
Risa Sena (UIW)
Kade Thomas (UIW)
Mia Soerensen (UTSA)
Makenna Wiepert (UTSA)
Alexis Strong (ACU)
Emma Halstead (Holy Cross)
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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