RUSTON, La. – The Louisiana Tech volleyball team was unable to capitalize on a 1-0 match lead, and fell 3-1 (20-25, 25-18, 25-12, 25-19) to the visiting UTSA Roadrunners in a Conference USA matchup on Friday evening from the Thomas Assembly Center.
 
LA Tech (6-21, 1-11 C-USA) came out of the gates hot, staking an early 1-0 lead in the match behind a 25-20 win in the first frame. Both teams were neck and neck throughout most of the set before the score evened at 19. The Lady Techsters buckled down in the clutch moment and rattled off six of the final eight points, and took an early 1-0 lead.
 
In the second frame, the Roadrunners ended yet another back-and-forth frame on an 8-1 run, and secured a 25-18 victory, evening the match at one.
 
Tech was unable to find an answer for the UTSA offense in the third, as the Roadrunners notched 12 kills on 34 attempts, while racing out to a 25-12 victory. Tech's offense, meanwhile, was limited to just four kills on 32 attempts.
 
Looking to push the match to a do-or-die fifth set, the Techsters found themselves down by 10 at 20-10 late in the fourth frame. However, Tech showed some resiliency and cut the Roadrunner lead down to as little as four at 23-19. UTSA replied, backed by a pair of kills from Montse Castro, and escaped with a 25-19 win, clinching the match in the process.
 
LA Tech was led offensively by eight kills from junior Kaitlyn Adams, while fellow junior Madeline Davis hit .350 from the field with seven kills, four digs and four total blocks. Freshman Natalie Honore, making the start at libero, led the Techsters with 12 digs and also chipped in six assists. Junior Jayde Penn contributed four kills along with a trio of block assists on the evening.
 
The Roadrunners were led by 12 kills from Brianna McCulloch and 11 from Castro. UTSA recorded 55 total kills as a team, while limiting Tech to 32 on the evening. For the match, UTSA hit at a .241 clip, while Tech was held to a .089 mark from the field.
 
The Techsters will return to action next Thursday, taking on Southern Miss at 7 p.m. from the Thomas Assembly Center. Admission to all LA Tech home volleyball contests is free. Be sure to follow @LATechVB on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all breaking news, in-game updates and other items of interest pertaining to the 2018 Lady Techsters.