SAN ANTONIO – The UTSA volleyball team will be back at the Convocation Center tomorrow, Oct. 16, when it plays host to the North Texas Mean Green. Opening serve is set for 1 p.m. and the match will be streamed 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 match to Charlotte, 3-2. The Mean Green have lost three of their last four and are most recently coming off a 3-1 loss to No. 23 Western Kentucky.
Fans that attend Sunday afternoon's match are encouraged to dress in pink as UTSA has partnered with the ZTA sorority to promote its Breast Cancer Awareness match.
Leading the Roadrunners
Three different Roadrunners have appeared in all 69 sets so far for UTSA. Among those three players is junior middle blocker Amanda Ifeanyi who is second on the team in points with 170 points to date. Ifeanyi has 145 kills and a team-high .337 hitting 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 fellow middle blocker Alicia Coppedge and freshman defensive specialist Ava Camacho. Coppedge sits at third on the team in points (154) and kills (123). Coppedge has been a star on defense as she currently leads the Roadrunners in total blocks with 59. As a true freshman, Camacho leads the team in digs with 314 and has 11 aces to her 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 having appeared in all but one set for UTSA. The Rutgers transfer has a team-high 227.5 points scored and 202 kills, both of which rank top ten in C-USA and lead the team. Through 18 matches, 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 on the season. Junior outside hitter Kelsey Carpenter is one of five Roadrunners currently over 100 points on the season as the Midlothian, Texas native has 138.5 points with 121 kills. Her 2.20 kills per set are the second most on the team and not far behind her is freshman Katelyn Krienke. Krienke has tallied 132.5 points on 116 kills.
Scouting the Mean 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 top-10 in C-USA averaging 3.74 kills per set. Sh'Diamond Holly holds the highest hitting percentage (.407) in all of Conference USA as she has the third most kills on the team with 156.
UNT setter Ceci Harness is up to 534 assists on the 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 blocks.
Series history
UTSA is 10-8 all-time against the North Texas Mean Green, dating all the way back to 2002. UTSA has won three of the last five meetings against UNT and the two programs last met in San Antonio back in the 2020-21 season. The two played matches on back-to-back days due to travel restrictions where both schools earned a victory. The Roadrunners are 7-2 against North Texas in matches played in the Alamo City.
Up next
UTSA plays again this coming Friday, Oct. 21, when the squad heads west to face the UTEP Miners. Friday night's match is set to begin at 6 p.m. and the action will be streamed on CUSA.tv.
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