UTSA junior outside hitter Ally Tribe has always been that player. The one everyone in attendance knows is getting the ball in crucial moments and when the stakes are highest, who is going to put up big numbers, and is must-see.

Tribe’s high school volleyball resume says as much: Nearly 2,500 career kills, a .347 hitting percentage, almost 1,450 digs and 500 aces, and 234 blocks while leading Columbus to three straight UIL Class 3A state tournament appearances. The expectations carried over into her first two years in college.

But this season, as UTSA stockpiled its roster with more offensive weapons, the workload and playing time were lightened. Depth perception isn’t about what the Roadrunners see on the court, but has turned into a potential path to success.

Redshirt freshman outside hitter Sydney Bryant had a team-high 13 kills, and junior middle blocker Caroline Tredwell and redshirt freshman outside hitter Gigi Mason each had 10 kills as a balanced attack propelled UTSA past East Texas A&M 25-18, 25-22, 25-19 on Friday on Day 2 of the Roadrunner Classic at the Convocation Center.

The Roadrunners (5-2), riding a four-match winning streak, including the past three via sweeps, conclude the three-day tournament vs. Indiana-Indianapolis at 1 p.m. Saturday.

“Being able to have depth and being able to have outsides and right sides that can rely on each other, has made a difference,” UTSA coach Carol Price-Torok said. “It shows a lot of grit and a lot of mental fortitude for our players to go make those changes, just stay ready. It’s exciting to see from a coaching standpoint.”

With UTSA’s outside hitters Bryant, Mason and Isabella Arroyave (seven kills) having provided a bulk of the offense thus far in the season, it was Tredwell who provided the spark vs. East Texas A&M. A junior, Tredwell recorded her 10 kills in only 12 attempts, committing no errors for an .833 hitting percentage.

“Middles are my favorite,” said Torok, a former middle blocker at Texas A&M, of Tredwell, also a middle blocker. “Middle’s a tough position, and we’re on them to get up and just find ways to score and just be problem-solvers. It was really great to see (Tredwell) come on today, and see what we know of her and what she can do. Her making a difference really opens up everything.”

The Roadrunners were in control for the majority of the contest and didn’t trail until it was 2-1 in the second set. They overcame a five-point deficit in the second stanza and used a surge midway through the third frame after battling back from an early three-point hole to prevail. UTSA struggled at times a year ago with stringing together points, but appears to have turned the tide in that regard.

“We have a lot of drills in practice that focus on that a lot,” said junior setter Megan Hawkins, a New Braunfels Canyon graduate who had 15 assists and nine digs and just missed out on netting a double-double. “It’s just siding out, really focusing on it, having it in the back of our minds.”

The Roadrunners, who had a .308 hitting percentage — the third straight match they had hit at least .300 — closed the match on a 6-2 run after East Texas A&M pulled within 19-17. Bryant had three kills, and Tribe added two during the run, including an emphatic spike for the win.

“It’s a familiar feeling,” said Tribe, who didn’t play in the previous two matches but came off the bench on Friday for six kills and a .556 hitting clip. “I love it, and I love being on the court. It definitely felt good to get back in there and get a kill like that. I also have such good teammates that back me up in a way that I knew I could go in there and do what I needed to do. I also knew whenever my number would be called, I would just need to go in there and attack every single ball that I possibly could, and do it with confidence. The same thing on the defensive side.”

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