SAN ANTONIO- The UTSA volleyball team will return to the Convocation Center tomorrow, October 16, when they host the North Texas Mean Green. Opening service is set for 1 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on CUSA.tv.
The Roadrunners (7-11, 2-4) will look to snap a two-game skid against fourth-place North Texas (9-12, 3-3) after falling in Friday night’s game against Charlotte, 3- 2. The Mean Greens have lost three of their last four games and recently suffered a 3-1 loss to No. 23 Western Kentucky.
Fans attending Sunday afternoon’s game are encouraged to dress in pink as UTSA has teamed up with the ZTA sorority to promote their breast cancer awareness game.
Lead the Roadrunners
Three different Roadrunners have appeared in all 69 sets for UTSA so far. Among these three players is the junior intermediate blocker Amanda Ifeanyi who is second on the team in points with 170 points so far. Ifeanyi has 145 kills and a .337 hit percentage. On defense, Ifeanyi has 36 digs and 44 total blocks, the second most on the team.
The other two Roadrunners who have played in each set are other middle blockers Alicia Coppedge and first-year defensive specialist Ava Camacho. Coppedge is third on the team in points (154) and kills (123). Coppedge has been a star defense as she currently leads the Roadrunners in total with 59 blocks. As a true rookie, Camacho leads the team in digs with 314 and has 11 aces to his name. Camacho’s 4.55 digs per set are the third-most in C-USA.
Newcomer Cansu Günaydin leads the way for the UTSA offense after appearing in all but one set for UTSA. The Rutgers transfer has a team-best 227.5 points scored and 202 kills, both of which rank in the top ten in C-USA and lead the team. In 18 games, Günaydin has 17 aces, tied for the most on the team, as well as 136 digs and a total of 14 blocks.
Senior setter Courtney Walters continues to set up her teammates, as the McKinney, Texas native has 493 assists this season. Junior outside hitter Kelsey Carpenter is one of five Roadrunners currently over 100 points this season as the Midlothian, Texas native has 138.5 points with 121 eliminations. His 2.20 kills per set is second on the team and not far behind is freshman Katelyn Krienke. Krienke had 132.5 points on 116 kills.
Exploring Wicked Green
North Texas is led offensively by the duo of Treyaunna Rush (288) and Aryn Johnson (216) who lead the team in kills. Rush ranks in the top 10 of C-USA with an average of 3.74 kills per set. Sh’Diamond Holly holds the highest hit percentage (.407) in the entire United States Conference, as she has the team’s third most wins with 156.
UNT passer Ceci Harness is at 534 assists this season, the sixth most in the conference. Harness also has 14 aces, the third most on the team.
On the defensive side of the net, Aleeyah Galdeira leads the Mean Green with 349 digs, the second most in C-USA, and is averaging 4.53 digs per set. Holly (98) and Rush (62) lead the team in block.
Series history
UTSA is 10-8 all-time against North Texas Mean Green, dating back to 2002. UTSA has won three of the last five meetings against UNT and the two programs met for the last time in San Antonio in the 2020-21 season. . The two played back-to-back matches due to travel restrictions where both schools picked up a win. The Roadrunners are 7-2 against North Texas in games played at Alamo City.
Next
UTSA plays again this Friday, October 21, when the team heads west to take on the UTEP Miners. Friday night’s game is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. and the action will air on CUSA.tv.
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