This past Saturday, Oct. 1, the Roadrunner volleyball team treated fans to an impressive and dominating win over the visiting Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks with a three set sweep (25-15, 25-20, 25-11).

The Runners are off to their best start in conference since 2008. They are 4-0 in Southland Conference action with an overall record of 10-8 on the year.

The Runners proved that their offense was too much for the Ladyjacks to handle. The depth of the Runners team was on full display; no matter who substituted into the game the Runners established and maintained their lead in every set.

Both teams came out excited and ready to compete. The Runners took the first set with a powerful offensive performance from senior Elise Huskey and junior Brittney Malloy, who contributed with five kills each.

The second set showcased a huge offensive explosion from both teams, but sophomore McKenzie Adams came up with three solo blocks and four assisted blocks. The Runner’s offense operated smoothly with the help of junior Kelsey Schwirtlich’s outstanding 23 assists in the first two sets.

Volleyball sweeps weekend

Richard Castillo

The third set was a simple wrap up for the Runners as they put away the Ladyjacks behind junior Whitney Walls, who led the Runners with 10 kills. Schwirtlich kept the Runners offense flowing with an outstanding 34 assists at the end of the match. Schwirtlich currently leads the Southland Conference in assists and is also ranked 77th nationally for her 10.33 assists per set ratio.

Senior Kelsey Jewasko made her defensive presence known with 16 digs on the day. Jewasko is currently ranked second all time for digs in UTSA history with 2,044 to her credit.

Adams also had an outstanding game with nine individual blocks and two serving aces.

A Schertz native, Adams transferred from a successful freshman year at the University of Virginia to play in her hometown. Adams won the 2010 ACC and the NCAA East Region Freshman of the Year while she was at Virginia.

“You see people that used to watch you in high school and now they watch me in college,” Adams said. “I love being here.”

The chemistry of the Runners this year has also impressed Adams.

“I have never been on a team that gets along as well as we do,” Adams said. “We also respect our leaders on our team, and we trust each other.”

Volleyball coach Laura Neugebauer-Groff was very impressed with the team’s character. “These girls are playing with such confidence and composure, and I’m very optimistic for the rest of this season,” Neugebauer-Groff said. “Our depth is our biggest strength; everyone is contributing so much. It was a real team effort for this win.”

Neugebauer-Groff has helped lead the Roadrunners to the top of the conference, both in the standings and on the stat sheet.

The volleyball team is the best this year in the Southland Conference in kills per set with 13.63, assists per set with 12.9 and 2.23 blocks per set.

“I challenge more people to come out and watch our ladies play,” Neugebaur-Groff said. “Once you see them play, you’ll want to come back to see them again.”

The Runners next home game is October 13 vs. Southeastern Louisiana at 6:30 p.m.