RUSTON, La. –UTSA snapped its late-season skid on Saturday afternoon, downing Louisiana Tech 3-1 on the road to pick up a win in the final match of the season.
The Roadrunners (8-18, 3-11 C-USA) were powered by senior outside hitter Hunter Coppola who saved her best for last, pouring in 23 kills in her final college appearance. Coppola not only provided a match-high 23 kills, but she also did so at an efficient clip, hitting at a .352%. Aiding Coppola was setter Mekaila Aupiu who had the second-best outing of her young career, tallying 42 assists in the match.
La Tech (11-18, 4-10) dropped its fourth match in its last five appearances and fell out of the Conference USA tournament with the loss. Lady Techster outside hitter Andrea Spasojevic had a team-high 12 kills and McKenzie Johnson had a match-high 22 digs.
First Set (UTSA 25-20 La Tech)
UTSA started the match hot, as the Roadrunners were able to claim a 12-7 lead at the beginning of the first set, forcing a Lady Techster timeout. The break in action didn't do a whole lot as UTSA pushed its lead to 17-11 and Louisiana Tech called its final timeout of the set. The Roadrunners were able to handle business from there, taking the first set by five, 25-20. Coppola had a set-high five kills and Aupiu had 13 assists to lead the way. The Roadrunners never once surrendered the lead in the set and held control throughout.
Second Set (UTSA 25-19 La Tech)
The Roadrunners carried the first set momentum into the second, blitzing the Lady Techsters early and taking a 9-2 lead to force a timeout from La Tech. Louisiana Tech rallied a bit, cutting the lead to 13-8 as UTSA took its first timeout of the set. UTSA steadied the ship out of the timeout, keeping Louisiana Tech at bay and holding on for a six-point set victory. Coppola had a nine-kill set, the highest of her career, to lead all scorers. The Roadrunners held La Tech to its lowest hitting percentage of the match in the second set as the Lady Techsters hit just .053.
Third Set (La Tech 25-12 UTSA)
Louisiana Tech came out on a tear in the third set, reversing the momentum and claiming their own early set lead. The Lady Techsters at one point held a 23-9 advantage before going on to win the set 25-12. UTSA had just five kills in the set as La Tech had complete control.
Fourth Set (UTSA 25-19 La Tech)
UTSA snapped out of its third-set funk and battled back to win the fourth set to claim the match. An early 11-7 lead by the Roadrunners brought about a Lady Techster timeout. La Tech rallied back within one, cutting the set to 15-14 before the Roadrunners called a timeout of their own. UTSA then rattled off a 10-5 run to close the set and put away the Lady Techsters. Coppola again had a set high, contributing seven kills while Aupiu had 15 assists. Outside of Aupiu and Coppola, Ava Camacho also had a solid day as the true freshman had 20 digs while fellow true freshman Kaitlin Leider had a team-high two aces.
Up Next
UTSA's season is now over and the Roadrunners will return to action next fall for the 2023 campaign.
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