Hokie Club
SAN ANTONIO – Battling back from deficits, Virginia Tech's volleyball team could not claw out of UTSA's advantages, falling to the Roadrunners 3-1 on Sunday at the UTSA Invitational inside the Convocation Center.
Tech (9-3) faced a couple five-point-plus holes and cut those to within reach of a comeback, but each time UTSA (8-4) would have an answer. An answer the tournament field could not come up with was for the Hokies' Jaila Tolbert, who was named to the all-tournament team after racking up 28 kills on a .362 hitting percentage.
Starting the first set down 8-3, Tech called a timeout and regrouped after a couple kills from sophomore Kaity Smith. But the Roadrunners would get hot and score 10 of the final 15 points to win it 25-14.
Knotted at 8-8 to begin the second frame, Tech would earn a four-point advantage after a kill from Smith, causing a UTSA timeout. The Roadrunners would respond out of the break and trim Tech's lead to two points at 16-14, but the Hokies would finish strong winning the stanza by five points, 25-20.
Setter Rhegan Mitchell posted a combo block with sophomore Marisa Cerchio and followed it up with a solo stuff, giving the Hokies an 8-7 lead early in the third set. UTSA would regain the lead, though, getting up by as many as five points at 18-13, but Tech trimmed it to three, 23-20, after a Smith kill. UTSA would get two of the next three points to win it, 25-21.
Trailing 19-11 in the final stanza, Tech rattled off four straight points behind two kills from outside hitter Ester Talamazzi and would come all the back to make it a one-point set at 24-23 following another kill from the Italy native, forcing a UTSA timeout. Out of the pause in action, the Roadrunners would get the next point to claim it, 25-23.
Hannah Lopez paced the Roadrunners with a match-high 18 kills on a .375 hitting percentage and 13 digs, marking her second double-double of the season.
NOTES
- Tolbert tallied 16 kills with a .333 clip, three digs and a block. The 16 kills marked her second match this season of having 15 or more. With the all-tournament honors, the right-side hitter has now been a part of three all-tournament teams this year (Charlotte, Bobcat and UTSA invites).
- Smith almost had her fifth double-double of the year, being one dig shy of double digits with nine digs and 15 kills. Smith's 15 kills were her third-most of the season. Talamazzi was one kill shy of a double-double, recording nine kills and 10 digs.
- Cerchio filled up the stat sheet, registering 10 kills, four blocks, and an ace and a dig. With her double-digit kills, the Ohio native has now posted four matches with 10 or more, tying her high of four last season.
- Mitchell distributed 43 assists, her third time this year of 40-plus in a match. The setter also had seven digs, three blocks and two kills.
- Libero Carol Raffety collected 20 digs and five assists, marking her third match this year of 20 or more.
- Two freshmen saw action for the first time of their careers today, with setter Sarah Jane Lynch and middle blocker Peyton Yelich. Yelich had a career-high two kills.
- Fellow freshmen Angel Robinson and Tessa Wyner put in some work as well, as Robinson tied a career-best three kills and had a block while Wyner scooped up a personal-best two digs.
QUOTING HEAD COACH JILL WILSON
"We fought really well late in sets, but we did not at the beginning of those," Tech Head Coach Jill Wilson said. "UTSA is a very feisty team. I was very disappointed in our approach at the beginning of each set, and that is something we're going to have to fix.
"Jaila [Tolbert] did a really nice job offensively. Hopefully, we continue to work at getting our passing rhythm back just to get her a few more balls and work a little bit on her blocking.
"I thought Peyton [Yelich] and Sarah Jane [Lynch] came in and did a really good job and gave us a little spark off the bench, which was a good experience for them. We'll look for that in the future."
TWEET OF THE MATCH
Set 2 | Smith gets another one!
— Virginia Tech Volleyball (@HokiesVB) September 16, 2018
We go up 21-17 after the sophomore's eighth kill pic.twitter.com/4Si972EIqc
WHAT IS NEXT
- The Hokies will head back to Blacksburg after wrapping up nonconference play with its best winning percentage in non-league action since 2015. They will start ACC play on Sept. 21 against defending ACC champion Pitt, which is No. 9 in the country, inside Cassell Coliseum.
UTSA INVITATIONAL ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Yossiana Pressley, Baylor (MVP)
Shelly Fanning, Baylor
Aniah Philo, Baylor
Shelby Williams, UTSA
Jaila Tolbert, Virginia Tech