| Oct. 4, 2004
Contact: Kyle Stephens (210) 458-4907
Roadrunners host I-35 rival Texas State in key SLC match Tuesday Complete Release | Listen Live SAN ANTONIO - The UTSA volleyball team hosts I-35 rival Texas State on Tuesday, Oct. 5, at 7 p.m. at the Convocation Center. The Roadrunners took 2-of-3 matches in the Southland Conference last week to improve to 7-8 overall and 4-2 in the league. The Bobcats have won five in a row and are 10-4 overall and 4-2 in the SLC. UTSA and Texas State are tied for third in the conference standings behind Texas-Arlington (5-1) and Northwestern State (5-2). The Bobcats lead the all-time series, 35-9, and have won three of the past five meetings with the Roadrunners. UTSA Roadrunners (7-8, 4-2 SLC)
vs.
Texas State Bobcats (10-4, 4-2 SLC) Tuesday, Oct. 5 • 7 p.m.
Convocation Center (5,100) • San Antonio, Texas UTSA vs. Texas State History
Series Record: Texas State leads, 35-9
Last meeting: Nov. 22, 2003 - San Antonio, Texas
Texas State won, 3-2 (28-30, 27-30, 30-25, 30-23, 15-10)
Scouting Texas State
The Bobcats opened the Southland Conference slate with a pair of losses to Texas-Arlington and McNeese State, but have rebounded to win five consecutive matches, including four league meetings, the last two being three-game sweeps of Southeastern Louisiana and Nicholls State. Texas State is 10-4 overall and 4-2 in the SLC. Junior outside hitter Elizabeth Nwoke and senior middle blocker Kacee Rogers lead the attack with 199 (3.98 kpg) and 160 (3.14 kpg) kills, respectively. Rogers also owns a team-best 57 blocks (1.12 bpg) and 17 service aces. Senior setter Krystal Kolkhorst averages 11.91 assists per game (643 assists) and has turned in 149 digs (2.76 dpg). Junior libero Amy Ramirez has posted 172 digs (3.19 dpg) and a team-best 21 aces, while and senior libero Kristy Jones has recorded 161 digs (2.98 dpg). Head coach Karen Chisum is 559-365-3 in 25 seasons at Texas State.
Week-In-Review
In three home matches last week, UTSA swept Sam Houston State, 30-25, 30-21, 30-27, on Tuesday and downed Southeastern Louisiana in four games, 30-22, 26-30, 30-26, 30-23, on Friday, before falling in three to Nicholls State on Saturday, 26-30, 28-30, 24-30. Sophomore Meagan Daniel posted double-doubles in all three matches, giving her eight for the year and five in six conference matches. She recorded 44 kills (4.40 kpg), 48 digs (4.84 dpg), 47.5 points (47.5 ppg) and a .254 hitting percentage and was named SLC Offensive Player of the Week for her efforts. Sophomore Erin McMillan made it a Roadrunner sweep of the league’s weekly accolades, earning the defensive honor for the second time this year after registering 51 digs (5.10 dpg) against just one reception error, including a match-high 21 in the 3-1 win over Southeastern Louisiana. She added 20 digs in the 3-0 loss to Nicholls State, giving her 13 double-digit performances for the season.
UTSA Tidbits
UTSA has played three games in 12 of its 15 matches this season, posting a 6-6 record … the Roadrunners won the only four-game match over Southeastern Louisiana … UTSA has dropped both five-gamers to Idaho State and Iowa State … the Roadrunners lead the Southland Conference in assists per game overall (14.04 apg) and in conference games only (16.32 apg) … setter DeeDee Strickland leads the league in assists in conference games only (13.21 apg) and is second overall (11.58 apg) … Meagan Daniel has eight double-doubles this season, including five in six conference matches and seven in the last eight matches … Roadrunners have been named SLC Offensive or Defensive Player of the Week three times, tied with Texas-Arlington for most honors in the league … Erin McMillan has turned in double-digit digs in 13 consecutive matches, including three with 20-plus digs … McMillan has just two reception errors in the past four matches … Brittany Hildebrand posted a career-high 22 kills in the 3-1 win over Southeastern Louisiana … Hildebrand has a team-best 83 kills in SLC play (4.37 kpg).
SLC Accolades
UTSA players have earned Southland Conference Player of the Week accolades three times this season. On Sept. 20, Erin McMillan was named Defensive Player of the Week after posting 34 digs (5.67 dpg) against just two reception errors, five assists and two service aces in helping the Roadrunners sweep Lamar and McNeese State. McMillan and Meagan Daniel swept league honors on Oct. 4 as UTSA went 2-1 for the week. McMillan registered 51 digs (5.10 dpg) against just one reception error, while Daniel posted three double-doubles to give her eight for the year and five in six league matches.
Super Sophomores
A quintet of sophomores has played a large role in UTSA’s success this season. Meagan Daniel, Brittany Hildebrand, Erin McMillan, Connie Picard and DeeDee Strickland all gained valuable experience as true freshmen in 2003, leading the Roadrunners to a 19-14 record and an appearance in the Southland Conference Tournament semifinal. Daniel, the 2003 SLC Freshman of the Year and a first team selection, and Hildebrand, an honorable mention all-league pick last year, have paced the outside attack, posting 181 (3.62/game) and 170 (3.54/game) kills, respectively. Picard, a 2003 All-SLC Tournament choice, has been solid in the middle, averaging 2.68 kills (134) and 0.98 blocks (49) per game. McMillan, an honorable mention pick last year, leads the defense from her libero position, posting a team-high 215 digs (4.30/game) while pitching in with 13 service aces. Strickland, a third-team All-SLC honoree last year and a preseason second-team selection this year, has registered 579 assists (11.58/game), 18 kills, 17 blocks and 12 aces from her setter spot.
Record Watch
A pair of sophomores are on their way up the UTSA career charts. Meagan Daniel has tallied 700 career kills, placing her 10th on the career list. She needs just 136 kills to catch Jennifer Sharp (836) for ninth place. Daniel also entered 2004 with 1,508 total attacks, the school single-season record, and already has added 524 to increase her total to 2,032 which ranks 10th. Daniel needs 336 total attacks to catch Jennifer Sharp (2,368) for ninth place. The school record is 4,914 set by Stacy Schmidt in 1998-2001. DeeDee Strickland posted 1,494 assists as a freshman, the third-best season on UTSA record, and has added 579 this year to up her total to 2,073 which ranks fifth all-time. Strickland needs 687 assists to tie Tobi Irish (2,760) for fourth place. Natasha Biggers holds the UTSA record with 5,440 set in 1997-2000.
Tough Slate
UTSA played a tough non-conference schedule and the dividends are beginning to pay off. The Roadrunners opened with 2003 national semifinalist Minnesota, a team ranked No. 5 at the time, No. 1 for three weeks and now No. 3 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top 25 . UTSA also played Rice, currently receiving 51 votes in the poll, twice and took Iowa State of the Big 12 Conference to five games. Head Coach Laura Neugebauer-Groff
Laura Neugebauer-Groff enters her third season at the helm of the UTSA volleyball program. She came to UTSA in 2002 after a successful eight-year career at St. Mary’s, a Division II school in San Antonio, where she compiled a 256-62 record. Following a tough 8-24 debut season as the Roadrunners’ coach in 2002, Neugebauer-Groff orchestrated a remarkable turnaround in 2003, guiding an extremely young squad to a 19-14 record and an appearance in the SLC Tournament semifinals. A standout player, Neugebauer-Groff was an All-American at Texas in the mid-1980s and was named to the Southwest Conference All-Decade Team in 1992. In 2002, the San Antonio Express-News tabbed her as one of its most influential people in women’s sports. She also was a member of the National Sports Festival in 1983 and the World University Games in 1985. She played professionally for the West German Volleyball League before joining the Chicago Breeze pro team in 1988. She has been an annual participant in the U.S. Volleyball Association National Tournament since 1987. She began her coaching career at Hondo High School in 1988-90 and was an assistant coach at Texas A&M in 1990-92. She graduated from Texas in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education and received her master’s in educational leadership from St. Mary’s in 1996. Neugebauer-Groff and her husband, Dwayne, have two children, Jacob (5) and Madison (3).
UTSA To Host 2005 NCAA Volleyball Championship
UTSA will host the 2005 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship on Dec. 15-17 at the Alamodome. UTSA has been the host institution for many NCAA Championship events including the Men’s Basketball Final Four in 1998 and 2004 and the 2002 Women’s Basketball Final Four. The 2004 NCAA Volleyball Championship will be hosted by Long Beach State on Dec. 16-18 in Long Beach, Calif.
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