| Sept. 8, 2005
Contact: Kyle Stephens (210) 458-4907 Roadrunners welcome top field to San Antonio for UTSA Dome Rally Live Audio | Live Stats | Complete Release
SAN ANTONIO - Off to the program’s best start since 2000 at 3-1, the UTSA volleyball team hosts the UTSA Dome Rally on Friday-Sunday, Sept. 9-11, at the Alamodome. The Roadrunners face LSU on Friday at 1:30 p.m., Rice on Saturday at 7 p.m. and Oklahoma on Sunday at 5 p.m.
Quick Hitters
• The UTSA Dome Rally will serve as a precursor to the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship hosted by UTSA on Dec. 15 and 17 at the Alamodome
• Head coach Laura Neugebauer-Groff reached 300 career victories with a 3-0 sweep of Delaware on Sept. 2
• Junior libero Erin McMillan was named Southland Conference co-Defensive Player of the Week
Formidable Field
The UTSA Dome Rally is one of the top collegiate volleyball tournaments in the nation this season. Four teams ranked in this week’s CSTV/AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll — No. 6 Florida (4-0), No. 8 Southern California (2-2), No. 12 Texas A&M (6-0) and No. 19 Notre Dame (3-0) — make up half the field, while Rice (4-1) is receiving 23 votes. LSU (6-0) and Oklahoma are 4-1 have solid records and UTSA is off to its best start in six seasons.
Scouting UTSA’s Opponents
LSU is 6-0 on the season after winning the Georgia State Invitational last weekend. Jelena Mijatovic leads a Tiger offensive attack that is hitting .293 as a team with 117 kills (5.32 per game) and 21 service aces. Setter Heatrher Fierce is averaging 13.85 assists per game and Ivana Kuzmic has 30 total blocks (1.36 per game). Head coach Fran Flory is 114-101 in her seventh season at the helm.
Rice enters the Dome Rally with a 4-1 record and will play Oklahoma on Friday. The Owls had a 19-match home winning streak snapped in five games by Texas Tech on Tuesday night. Oyala Pazo leads the attck with 94 kills (4.95 per game), while Kristina Hoban is averaging 12.63 assists per game. Head coach Genny Volpe is 29-6 in her second season in Houston.
Oklahoma is 4-1 after handling Texas-Arlington, 32-30, 30-26, 30-11, on Wednesday night. The Sooners defeated TCU, Indiana and Loyola before dropping their first match of the year to Alabama last weekend. Joanna Schmitt leads the offense with 60 kills (5.45 per game), while Anna Stadel is averging 1.00 block per game (14 total blocks). Head coach Santiago Restrepo is 15-18 in his second season in Norman.
Career Milestone
Fourth-year head coach Laura Neugebauer-Groff won her 300th career game with a 3-0 sweep of Delaware on Sept. 2. The former Texas All-American now owns a 302-117 overall record in 12 seasons. Groff posted a 256-62 (.805) record at St. Mary’s, a Division II school in San Antonio, before taking over as UTSA’s head coach in 2002.
Preseason Accolades
In the Southland Conference Preseason Polls, UTSA is picked to finish third by the head coaches and fourth by the sports information directors. Stephen F. Austin is the favorite in both lists. Junior outside hitter Meagan Daniel, a two-time first team all-conference selection and SLC Player of the Year candidate, earned a spot on the Preseason All-SLC First Team, the only Roadrunner mentioned on the first or second teams.
NCAA Host Institution
The University of Texas at San Antonio continues its proud tradition of hosting NCAA Championship events with the 2005 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship coming to the Alamodome on Dec. 15 and 17. It will mark the first time UTSA, host for the 1998 and 2004 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Fours and the 2002 Women’s Final Four, has hosted the volleyball championship.
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