SAN ANTONIO -- The University of the Incarnate Word volleyball team battled cross-town opponent UTSA through five sets Thursday morning, rallying back from a 2-1 deficit to force a decisive fifth set before ultimately falling to the Roadrunners, 3-2, at the Convocation Center.
SET ONE: UIW opened the match with a 3-0 run, capitalizing on UTSA attacking errors and a kill from Vanessa Eregie. The Roadrunners responded with a 5-0 run to take a 7-5 lead. The Cardinals regained the advantage at 10-9 following a big kill from Calissa Allison, but UTSA answered with a 6-2 run to take a three-point lead into the media timeout. Kitana Tuufuli and Eregie led UIW with four kills apiece, while Victoria Hall tallied seven assists. The Roadrunner maintained their momentum down the stretch, taking the opening set, 25-17.
SET TWO: Much like the opening set, Alex Beauchamp recorded two early kills to give UIW a 4-1 lead. A 9-2 scoring run in favor of the Cardinals forced UTSA to call an early timeout. Straight out of the timeout, Ashton Rogers recorded UIW's first ace of the game before Beauchamp notched her fourth kill of the set to extend the Cardinals' lead to 11-4. The Roadrunners chipped away at the deficit, but a kill from Sofia Grimm sent UIW into the media timeout with a 15-9 advantage. Eregie followed with back-to-back kills to reach double figures for the match while hitting .818 in the set. The Roadrunners mounted a late comeback, cutting the Cardinals' lead to one at 23-22, but UIW held off the rally to claim the second set, 25-22.
SET THREE: With both teams looking to take a 2-1 lead in the match, UTSA opened the set with back-to-back kills. Beauchamp answered with two consecutive kills of her own, bringing the Cardinals within one at 5-4. The match remained tight as the teams traded points throughout the set, eventually tying it up at 14. UTSA pulled ahead by three and forced UIW to call a timeout with the score at 20-17. The Roadrunners closed out the set with a 5-2 run to take the third set, 25-19, and a 2-1 lead in the match heading into the fourth set.
SET FOUR: Looking to even the match at two sets apiece, UIW opened with a 5-0 run, highlighted by a pair of kills and a solo block from Tu'ufuli. The Cardinals continued to build their lead, jumping ahead 8-1 and forcing UTSA to call a timeout. UIW extended its advantage to double digits at 13-3, prompting the Roadrunners to use their second timeout of the set. UTSA began to claw its way back, but the Cardinals maintained a 15-7 lead at the media timeout. Making her collegiate debut, Lily Roach recorded her second kill on Allison's 25th assist to push UIW ahead 18-9. Hall recorded her 25th assist of the match, setting up Beauchamp for the Cardinals' 25-12 set-four victory.
SET FIVE: Eregie started the set off with a big kill before UTSA grabbed an early lead. The Roadrunner built a 6-3 advantage, forcing UIW to call a timeout. The Cardinals responded with kills from Allison and Grimm, prompting a timeout from UTSA. A Roadrunner attacking error would knot it back up at six. From there, UTSA took control, closing out the set on a 9-2 run to win the fifth set, 15-8, and claim the match, 3-2.
Notables:
-
Allison tied Hall for the team lead, dishing out 25 assists while adding seven digs and seven kills. She also tied her career high with three total blocks.
-
Beauchamp set a new career high with 13 kills, surpassing her previous best of 12 while hitting a season-high .335.
-
Eregie led the Cardinals with a .571 hitting percentage, recording 12 kills on 21 attacks. She also contributed two blocks and two digs defensively.
-
Roach made her collegiate debut, recording two kills on three attempts, while adding a block assist.
-
Grimm led the team with four blocks, including three block assists and one solo block, while Tu'ufuli led with 14 kills.
The Cardinals welcome Tarleton State for their home opener on Saturday, Sep. 5, at 1 p.m. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.
FOLLOW ALONG
For the most up-to-date information on UIW Athletics, visit uiwcardinals.com, follow the Cardinals on X @UIWAthletics, and on Instagram @uiw_athletics.
Follow the team on X @UIWVolleyball and on Instagram @uiw_volleyball.
