| Oct. 21, 2004
Contact: Kyle Stephens (210) 458-4907
Roadrunners host Lamar, McNeese State this weekend Complete Release | Listen Live SAN ANTONIO - The Texas-San Antonio volleyball team returns home this weekend to host Lamar and McNeese State in a pair of Southland Conference matches at the Convocation Center. The Roadrunners, 10-11 overall and 7-5 in the league, meet Lamar (7-15, 1-11) on Friday, Oct. 22, at 7 p.m., and then face McNeese State (13-6, 8-4) on Saturday at 4 p.m. UTSA swept the first meeting with each team earlier this season on the road. UTSA Roadrunners (10-11, 7-5 SLC)
vs.
Lamar Lady Cardinals (7-15, 1-11 SLC) Friday, Oct. 22 • 7 p.m.
Convocation Center • San Antonio, Texas UTSA Roadrunners (10-11, 7-5 SLC)
vs.
McNeese State Cowgirls (13-6, 8-4 SLC)* Saturday, Oct. 23 • 4 p.m.
Convocation Center • San Antonio, Texas
* McNeese State plays at Texas State Friday. UTSA vs. Lamar History
Series Record: Lamar leads, 22-14
Last meeting: Sept. 17, 2004 - Beaumont, Texas
UTSA won, 3-0 (30-27, 33-31, 30-26
UTSA vs. McNeese State History
Series Record: UTSA leads, 16-15
Last meeting: Sept. 18, 2004 - Lake Charles, La.
UTSA won, 3-0 (30-22, 30-20, 30-25)
Scouting Lamar
The Lady Cardinals have lost six straight and 14 of their last 15 matches dating back to a 3-2 victory over Georgia State on Sept. 11. Lamar enters Friday’s match at 7-15 overall and 1-11 in the Southland Conference. Freshman outside hitter Molli Abel leads the attack with 318 kills (3.97 kpg.), while sophomore middle blocker Buchi Okoh is the biggest threat in the middle with 2.89 kills and 1.09 blocks per game. Junior setter Chelsea Johnson averages 10.59 assists per game and senior Ashley Hallagin leads the team in digs with 3.70 per game.
Scouting McNeese State
The Cowgirls are 13-6 overall and 8-4 in the league, having won four of their last five matches. Senior outside hitter Nicole James leads the attack with 313 kills (4.17 kpg.), while junior outside hitter Trisha Seale has posted 292 kills (3.79 kpg.). Freshman middle blocker Lindsey Petzold averages 1.04 blocks per game and freshman libero Jessica Strama turns in 4.69 digs per game.
Week-In-Review
UTSA split a pair of Southland Conference matches on the road last weekend. The Roadrunners put together one of their better outings of the season in a sweep at Sam Houston State on Friday night, 30-22, 31-29, 32-30. Sophomore Meagan Daniel posted 15 kills and 12 digs, while sophomores Connie Picard and Brittany Hildebrand contributed 12 kills apiece. Sophomore DeeDee Strickland added 48 assists and nine digs and sophomore Erin McMillan turned in a match-high 20 digs. UTSA fell in four games at Texas-Arlington on Saturday, 26-30, 24-30, 31-29, 22-30. Strickland registered a match-high 68 assists and 12 digs, while Daniel and Hildebrand also posted double-doubles with 15 kills and 21 digs and 18 kills and 10 digs, respectively. Junior Jennifer Emelogu recorded a career-best 18 kills and McMillan matched her career-high with 32 digs. The Roadrunners currently stand fifth in a tight SLC race behind Texas State (9-2), Texas-Arlington (8-3), McNeese State (8-4) and Stephen F. Austin (6-3). UTSA fell to I-35 rival Texas State in four games, 26-30, 32-34, 30-23, 20-30, on Tuesday in San Marcos. Strickland posted her eighth double-double of the season with 33 assists and 15 digs, while Picard and Emelogu led the attack with 12 and 11 kills, respectively.
UTSA Tidbits
UTSA has played three games in 13 of its 21 matches this season, posting a 7-6 record … the Roadrunners are 3-2 in four-game matches … UTSA has dropped all three five-gamers to Idaho State, Iowa State and Texas State … Meagan Daniel has 12 double-doubles this season, including nine in 12 conference matches and 11 in the last 14 matches overall … DeeDee Strickland has posted eight double-doubles, five in her last six outings … Erin McMillan has turned in double-digit digs in 18 of her last 19 matches, including seven with 20-plus digs and three with at least 30 … UTSA leads the SLC in overall assists per game (14.39) and in conference games only, the Roadrunners pace all SLC schools in opponent hitting percentage (.169), assists per game (15.65) and kills per game (16.88).
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 265 (3.58/game) and 243 (3.42/game) kills, respectively. Picard, a 2003 All-SLC Tournament choice, has been solid in the middle, averaging 2.99 kills (221) and 1.03 blocks (76) per game. McMillan, an honorable mention pick last year, leads the defense from her libero position, posting a team-high 352 digs (4.76/game) while pitching in with 20 service aces. Strickland, a third-team All-SLC setter last year and a preseason second-team selection this year, has registered 897 assists (12.12/game), 29 kills, 24 blocks and 19 aces.
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.
Record Watch
A trio of sophomores is on its way up the UTSA career charts. Meagan Daniel has tallied 784 career kills, placing her 10th on the career list. She needs just 52 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 772 to increase her total to 2,280 which ranks 10th. Daniel needs 88 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 897 this year to up her total to 2,391 which ranks fifth all-time. Strickland needs 369 assists to tie Tobi Irish (2,760) for fourth place. Natasha Biggers holds the UTSA record with 5,440 set in 1997-2000. Connie Picard owns a season hitting percentage of .278 which would rank sixth on the single-season chart. Leslie Dodson (1992) and Charlsie Heifrin (2000) hold the school record at .307.
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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