Confidence and spirits were high when the UTPB volleyball team knocked off St. Edward’s 23-25, 26-24, 25-21, 25-21 Thursday at the Falcon Dome.
It gave the Falcons their second straight Lone Star Conference victory.
“They’re a good team, they played well and they made us play better,” UTPB head coach Tim Loesch said. “We actually lost to them to open the season in a tournament, it was a nonconference game but we knew they had a good team and it was going to be competitive.”
UTPB opened the match on the right foot, building a quick 3-0 lead in the first set.
It wouldn’t last very long, as St. Edward’s would regain its footing to tie the set up multiple times after forcing some Falcon errors.
Although the Hilltoppers found ways to keep it close, they wouldn’t gain a lead in the set until they jumped in front with a 10-9 score off a kill from Kaitlyn Krafka.
Both teams kept it close, but the Hilltoppers ultimately came away with a 25-23 first set win.
Krafka picked up five kills to start the match for St. Edward’s, while Isela Murillo led the Falcons with four.
The win gave the visitors a momentum boost, as they opened the second set with a 5-0 lead to put UTPB in an uncomfortable spot.
It wasn’t all negative for the Falcons when they regained their footing to outscore St. Edward’s 8-3 to tie everything up at 8-8.
The 4-0 scoring run was prevalent for both teams as the set progressed with UTPB using one to take a 20-15 lead, and St. Edward’s using one to cut the deficit down to 21-20.
An attack error from the Hilltoppers ended up sealing the highly competitive second set in UTPB’s favor by a 28-26 score.
The third set also proved to be close, with Taurie Magee and Aquincia Strambler stepping up for two consecutive kills each to give UTPB a 4-0 scoring run to win it 25-21.
It was still a back and forth affair throughout the fourth set, but the Falcons were able to win it 25-21 with a Murillo kill to seal the victory.
Loesch said it felt good to move up the conference standings with the win, but he knows there is still work to be done.
“We’re in the top half and maybe the top two-thirds, but there’s some other strong teams we gotta face,” Loesch said. “It should be another good match on Saturday, then we’re on the road.”
>>Follow Chris Amaya on Twitter at @OA_CAmaya
UTPB def. St. Edward’s
23-25, 26-24, 25-21, 25-21
Thursday at Falcon Dome
Kills — St. Edward’s: Kaitlyn Krafka 15, Maya Smalls 8, Halle Sanders 8, Jillienne Connell 7, Lauren Scott 4, Caroline Swan 3, Natalia Walls 3. UTPB: Taurie Magee 17, Aquincia Strambler 17, Isela Murillo 13, Chandra Reed 5, Sara Antic 4, Analise Lucio 2.
Blocks — St. Edward’s: Connell 2, Smalls 2, Scott 1.5, Krafka 0.5, Emily Tran 0.5 Sanders 0.5. UTPB: Magee 2.5, Reed 2, Strambler 1.5, Antic 1.5, Lucio 0.5.
Assists — St. Edward’s: Tran 24, Walls 16, Sarah Konovodoff 2, Smalls 2, Sanders 1, Scott 1. UTPB: Lucio 50, Erika Lozano 2, Aquincia Strambler 1.
Digs — St. Edward’s: Nicole Grant 26, Konovodoff 15, Sanders 15, Krafka 8, Walls 5, Smalls 4, Connell 3, Maddi Brown 2, Swan 1, Tran 1. UTPB: Daylee Doggett 21, Lozano 17, Murillo 13, Lucio 13, Devin Alcoser 6, Aquincia Strambler 6, Taurie Magee 5, Antic 4, Netanya Allison 1.
Aces — St. Edward’s: Grant 2, Connell 1, Walls 1, Smalls 1, Sanders 1. UTPB: Murillo 2, Kaitlyn Bustamante 2, Lozano 1, Doggett 1, Lucio 1.
Records
St. Edward’s 7-5, 2-3 Lone Star Conference; UTPB 8-4, 3-1.
