| Oct. 14, 2004
Contact: Kyle Stephens (210) 458-4907
Roadrunners set for key SLC matches at Sam Houston State, Texas-Arlington this weekend Complete Release | Listen Live SAN ANTONIO - Fresh off a pair of Southland Conference victories over Louisiana-Monroe and Northwestern State, the Texas-San Antonio volleyball team will hit the road for a pair of key matches this weekend. The Roadrunners, 9-9 overall and 6-3 in the SLC, will play at Sam Houston State, 12-5 and 6-2, on Friday, Oct. 15, at 7 p.m. at Johnson Coliseum in Huntsville. On Saturday, UTSA faces league leader Texas-Arlington, 15-3 and 7-2, at 4 p.m. at Texas Hall in Arlington. UTSA is one-half game behind the Bearkats in the league standings and just one game back of the Mavericks and Texas State. UTSA Roadrunners (9-9, 6-3 SLC)
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Sam Houston State Bearkats (12-5, 6-2 SLC) Friday, Oct. 15 • 7 p.m.
Johnson Coliseum • Huntsville, Texas UTSA Roadrunners (9-9, 6-3 SLC)
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Texas-Arlington Mavericks (15-3, 7-2 SLC)* Saturday, Oct. 16 • 4 p.m.
Texas Hall • Arlington, Texas
*Texas-Arlington plays Texas State on Friday night. UTSA vs. Sam Houston State History
Series Record: SHSU leads, 20-15
Last meeting: Sept. 28, 2004 - San Antonio, Texas
UTSA won, 3-0 (30-25, 30-21, 30-27) UTSA vs. Texas-Arlington History
Series Record: UTA leads, 20-6
Last meeting: Nov. 7, 2003 - Arlington, Texas
UTA won, 3-2 (28-30, 30-28, 30-24, 26-30, 15-11)
Scouting Sam Houston State
The Bearkats are 12-5 overall and 6-2 in the Southland Conference and have won five straight matches since dropping a 3-0 decision at UTSA on Sept. 28. The last three have been SLC victories over Texas-Arlington, 3-1, Southeastern Louisiana, 3-1, and Nicholls State, 3-2. Junior middle blocker Chrissy Engle leads Sam Houston State with 3.49 kills per game, while chipping in with 40 blocks. Junior middle blocker Alisha Fowler is averaging 3.28 kills and a team-best 1.02 blocks per game. Senior setter Karlee Butler ranks third in the conference at 11.78 assists per game, while junior outside hitter Jennifer Henrichsen and senior libero Emily Orlowski average 3.20 and 3.03 digs per game, respectively. The Bearkats are coached by Brenda Gray, who is 466-293 in 21 seasons.
Scouting Texas-Arlington
The Mavericks own the best overall record in the Southland Conference at 15-3 and are tied with Texas State for first place at 7-2. Texas-Arlington has won of its past five matches, including a 3-1 decision at Nicholls State and a 3-0 sweep at Southeastern Louisiana last weekend. Junior outside hitter Ashley Van Antwerp leads the attack with 4.03 kills per game, while junior middle blocker Melissa Marek and senior middle blocker are averaging 1.35 and 1.03 blocks per game. Senior setter Heather Dunn averages 11.44 assists per game and freshman outside hitter Morgan Rogers has posted a team-best 283 digs (4.49 dpg.). For Maverick standout Diane Seymour is in her first season as interim head coach after spending the last eight years as an assistant coach.
Week-In-Review
UTSA went 2-1 in three Southland Conference matches last week, dropping a thrilling, five-gamer to I-35 rival Texas State on Tuesday before taking a pair of 3-1 decisions over Louisiana-Monroe and Northwestern State on Friday and Saturday. In the 3-2 (30-27, 29-31, 22-30, 30-16, 8-15) loss to the Bobcats, sophomore Connie Picard led four Roadrunners in double-digit kills with 16. Sophomore Meagan Daniel posted 12 kills and 10 digs and sophomore DeeDee Strickland registered 49 assists and 12 digs. Sophomore Erin McMillan posted a season-best 31 digs, one shy of her career high set in 2003. In the 30-25, 30-19, 26-30, 30-19 victory over Louisiana-Monroe, sophomore Brittany Hildebrand and Picard turned in 14 and 13 kills, respectively, while Strickland added 51 assists and 10 digs. UTSA has three players post double-doubles in a 32-34, 30-26, 30-15, 31-29 win over Northwestern State. Daniel turned in a career-high 24 kills and 19 digs, while Strickland posted a season-high 69 assists and 10 digs. Junior Julia Hunter provided a spark off the bench with 11 kills and 10 digs and Picard added 19 kills and six blocks. McMillan led the defense, recording 31 digs for the second time in three matches.
UTSA Tidbits
UTSA has played three games in 12 of its 18 matches this season, posting a 6-6 record … the Roadrunners are 3-0 in four-game matches … UTSA has dropped all three five-gamers to Idaho State, Iowa State and Texas State … Meagan Daniel has 10 double-doubles this season, including seven in nine conference matches and nine in the last 11 matches … DeeDee Strickland has posted three consecutive and six overall double-doubles … Erin McMillan has turned in double-digit digs in 15 of her the 16 matches, including five with 20-plus digs and two with 31 in her last three outings … UTSA leads the SLC in assists per game (14.16) and kills per game (17.03) in conference matches only.
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 227 (3.60/game) and 204 (3.40/game) kills, respectively. Picard, a 2003 All-SLC Tournament choice, has been solid in the middle, averaging 2.89 kills (182) and 1.03 blocks (65) per game. McMillan, an honorable mention pick last year, leads the defense from her libero position, posting a team-high 286 digs (4.54/game) while pitching in with 18 service aces. Strickland, a third-team All-SLC setter last year and a preseason second-team selection this year, has registered 748 assists (11.87/game), 25 kills, 22 blocks and 16 aces. Record Watch
A pair of sophomores are on their way up the UTSA career charts. Meagan Daniel has tallied 746 career kills, placing her 10th on the career list. She needs just 90 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 643 to increase her total to 2,151 which ranks 10th. Daniel needs 217 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 748 this year to up her total to 2,242 which ranks fifth all-time. Strickland needs 518 assists to tie Tobi Irish (2,760) for fourth place. Natasha Biggers holds the UTSA record with 5,440 set in 1997-2000.
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.
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. 2 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top 25. UTSA also played Rice, currently receiving 79 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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