In another competitive Western Athletic Conference volleyball match, Seattle University had its chances to take the match lead, but UTSA won the pivotal third set and used that momentum to close out a 3-1 victory (25-20, 23-25, 30-28, 25-23) Thursday night at the Connolly Center.
Kaytlyn Dill (Bothell, Wash.) notched yet another double-double, leading the team with 22 kills, plus earning 10 digs as well as two service aces. Setter Jacquie Brice (Fullerton, Calif.) also earned a double-double with 44 assists and 18 digs, and libero Lani Beadle (Seattle, Wash.) led the Redhawk defense with 20 defensive digs.
With the match tied at one set apiece, Seattle U took the early lead in the third set, 9-4, before UTSA scored five straight points, including back-to-back service aces by Annie Kunes, to tie the set at 9-9. Sarah Jaeckel (Littleton, Colo.) keyed a 4-0 Seattle U run with a kill and a service ace, but once again the Roadrunners responded with four unanswered points of their own to pull into a 19-19 tie.
A kill by Alec Goodrie (Springfield, Ore.) set up Seattle U's first set point, but a block by Kylie Schott and McKenzie Adams held off the Redhawks. Dill set up two more set points with kills, but again the Redhawks could not finish the job, nor could they close out the set after a kill from Allison Farley (Happy Valley, Ore.) or after a UTSA service error. The Roadrunners finally grasped control of the set with a kill by Whitney Walls, a Seattle U attack error, and a block by Brandy Huskey and Brittney Malloy.
UTSA (10-4, 3-1 WAC) used two kills apiece from Adams and Malloy to pull out to a 13-7 lead in the fourth set, but the Redhawks fought back with a 10-2 scoring run, thanks in part to four kills by Dill, to take an 18-16 lead. After a block assist and a kill by Walls helped the Roadrunners regain the lead at 19-18, Seattle U scored four straight points to pull ahead, 22-19. UTSA would score six of the last seven points of the set, including three errors by the Redhawks, to close out the match.
An 8-3 UTSA scoring run capped by consecutive kills from Walls put the Roadrunners ahead in the first set, 15-11, before Seattle U closed the deficit to two points three times, the last time on a service ace by Farley to make the score 22-20. Two kills by Adams sandwiched around a Walls kill gave UTSA the opening set.
The Roadrunners would take the early lead in the second set, 8-4, before a kill by Karli Pedone (Granite Bay, Calif.) and three UTSA errors tied the set at 8-8. Down 14-13, Seattle U put together a 7-2 scoring run, starting with a kill by Dill and punctuated by consecutive service aces from the senior. The Roadrunners would come within one point, but Dill finished off the set with a kill to tie the match entering the intermission.
Adams, the reigning WAC Player of the Week, led UTSA with 20 kills and 23 digs, while Walls contributed 13 kills and a .444 hitting percentage. Huskey collected 48 assists to go along with three kills, seven digs, and two block assists, and Kunes added four service aces and 22 digs to the winning effort.
Seattle University (6-9, 1-4 WAC) will look to end its three-match losing streak Saturday, Sept. 29, when Texas State comes to the Connolly Center for a 5 p.m. contest. All youth in eighth grade and under will receive $1 tickets for Saturday's match.