UTSA Sweeps Sam Houston State to Advance to Championship Match
CONWAY, Ark. - In the first semifinal match of the 2011 Southland Conference Volleyball Tournament, No. 2 seed UTSA swept No. 3 seed Sam Houston State, 3-0 (26-24, 25-17, 25-22), to advance to the championship match at the Farris Center in Conway, Ark. The Roadrunners improve to 22-10 on the year and will look to defend its tournament title. The Bearkats conclude their season at 18-13.
In a close opening set, UTSA edged out Sam Houston, 26-24, to take the early lead. No team led by more than three points in the set, and the Roadrunners relied on senior defensive specialist Kelsey Jewasko's seven digs to fend off the Bearkats' attacks. On the offensive end, UTSA was led by setter of the year Kelsey Schwirtlich, who recorded 11 assists and two kills. First-team all-conference Carli Kolbe paced Sam Houston in the set with seven digs and six kills.
The second set was controlled by the Roadrunners from the beginning, winning 25-17. An 11-3 run from UTSA with the score tied 5-5 put too much distance between the two teams, as the Bearkats could not close any closer than five points the rest of the way. Senior Elise Huskey recorded 10 digs alone in the set for the Roadrunners, and Schwirtlich dished out nine more assists. The Bearkats could not get anything going offensively in the second set, hitting -.067 as a team.
UTSA jumped out to an early 9-1 third set lead, and held off a valiant Sam Houston comeback to complete the sweep with a 25-22 win. The Bearkats clawed their way back into the set with a 12-1 run and led as late as 21-17, but the Roadrunners fought back to stop the comeback. Jewasko recorded six digs and two assists in the set for the Roadrunners while junior Whitney Walls led the attack with six kills. The Bearkats were led by Kolbe's five kills, two digs and two block assists in the set.
For the match, Schwirtlich recorded a .571 hitting percentage on four kills to go along with her 28 digs, five digs, four block assists and two block solos. Senior Kolbe recorded 12 digs, eight digs and four block assists in the match for Sam Houston.
UTSA advances to the championship match tomorrow at 2 p.m. for a chance to earn the Southland Conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Volleyball Tournament. The Roadrunners will face the winner of the Texas State and Central Arkansas match played later tonight. The match will be televised by the Southland Conference Television Network to more than 20 markets in Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas, plus worldwide on ESPN3.com. Visit southland.org/television for a list of affiliates.
Postgame quotes
UTSA head coach Laura Neugebauer-Groff:
On her team's defensive performance...
"It's known that defense wins games. That's what we did today. We topped them in all of the defensive categories."
On her team's season-low hitting percentage...
"When you look at the stats, you might think we weren't very good. However, we were hitting some good shots and Sam Houston State was playing well at the net, again."
On what she told her team following Sam Houston State's 12-1 run in the third set...
"I told them we lost our aggression. We were back on our heels and we needed to be aggressive again. We had an eight-point lead early, so I told them to regain their composure and go back to playing like we did to start the set."
On advancing to the Southland Tournament Championship Match for the second straight season...
"It means a lot. It was heartbreaking for us to lose the regular season title. So, it means a lot to be in a position where we can win a championship again."