| Sept. 15, 2005
Contact: Kyle Stephens (210) 458-4907 UTSA hosts Texas-Arlington in conference home opener Friday Live Stats | Live Audio | Complete Release SAN ANTONIO - The UTSA volleyball team (3-5, 0-1 SLC) will try to snap a four-match losing streak when they host Texas-Arlington (2-6, 0-0 SLC) on Friday, Sept. 16. First serve is set for 7 p.m. at the Convocation Center. UTSA Roadrunners (3-5, 0-1 SLC)
vs.
Texas-Arlington Mavericks (2-6, 0-0 SLC) Friday, Sept. 16, 2005 • 7 p.m.
Convocation Center • San Antonio, Texas Quick Hitters
• After beginning the season 3-1, the best start since 2000, UTSA has dropped four straight matches
• Texas-Arlington leads the all-time series with UTSA, 21-7, but the two teams have split each of the last two seasons
• UTSA has not started the conference slate 0-2 since 2000, the last time the Roadrunners advanced to the NCAA Tournament UTSA vs. Texas-Arlington Series History
Texas-Arlington leads, 21-7
Last Meeting: UTSA def. UTA, 3-0 (30-26, 30-24, 30-25)
Nov. 9, 2004 • San Antonio, Texas
Last UTA win: Oct. 16, 2004 ? Arlington (30-26, 30-24, 29-31, 30-22) Scouting Texas-Arlington
The Mavericks are 2-6 on the season and are coming off a 3-1 loss to Arkansas-Little Rock on Sunday in Arlington. Senior outside hitter Ashley Van Antwerp, the reigning SLC Offensive Player of the Week, leads UTA and ranks second in the conference with 121 kills (4.32 per game) and 130 points (4.64 per game). The Mavericks lead the league in digs, averaging 18.50 per game as a team. Ashley Smith (4.25 dpg) and Morgan Rogers (4.07) are the top two diggers, while Melissa Marek has posted 26 blocks (1.04 per game). Head coach Diane Seymour is 26-13 in her second season at the helm. Did You Know?
Texas-Arlington advanced to the NCAA national semifinal round in 1989 ... Rhonda Rust, a former all-conference standout for the Mavericks in the 1990s, has a 4-2 coaching record at UTSA, taking over as interim head coach late in the 2001 season ... UTA has captured 10 SLC regular season crowns - no other school has won more than four titles. Last Time Out
UTSA dropped a heartbreaker in four games at Texas State on Tuesday night in front of 791 rowdy fans at Strahan Coliseum. After dominating the first game in a 30-21 win, UTSA lost three straight two-point decisions, 31-29, 30-28 and 31-29, in falling to 3-5 overall and 0-1 in the league. The Roadrunners served strong all night, posting 12 aces including five from senior Toni Rocheleau and three from junior Connie Picard. Picard and senior Julia Hunter posted 15 kills apiece to lead four players in double figures as UTSA hit .266 as a team. One major statistical discrepancy was in team blocks as Texas State had 12 against just one solo block from Picard, who also hit .500 for the match. Week In Review
The Roadrunners ran into some tough competition at the UTSA Dome Rally last weekend at the Alamodome. LSU swept UTSA, 30-21, 30-20, 30-25, to open the tournament on Friday. The Roadrunners took game one from Rice on Saturday, 31-29, but the Owls stormed back to beat UTSA in four, 30-25, 30-24, 30-28. Oklahoma dropped the Roadrunners in the finale on Sunday, 30-21, 30-25, 30-20. Solid Start
With the sweep of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Sept. 6, UTSA improved to 3-1 on the season. That marks the program's best start since also beginning the 1999 and 2000 seasons at 3-1. The Roadrunners also picked up victories over Delaware and Charlotte on Sept. 2-3 at the Charlotte/SpringHill Suites Invitational. 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 302-120 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. Honor Roll
Junior libero Erin McMillan was named Southland Conference co-Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 6 after an impressive opening weekend. The Churchill High School product posted match highs in digs in all three matches for UTSA as the Roadrunners finished second at the Charlotte/SpringHill Suites Invitational. McMillan had 21 digs in a 3-0 sweep of Delaware and 23 digs in a 3-2 loss to Middle Tennessee State, a 6-1 team that owns a victory at Georgia this season. She shared the honor with Stephanie Figgers of Stephen F. Austin. Daily Double
Juniors DeeDee Strickland and Meagan Daniel have made habits of turning in double-doubles. Strickland, a setter, has posted double-digit assists in all seven matches and has reached 10 or more digs in five of those. Daniel has reached double figures in kills and digs in four matches. Dig This
Erin McMillan has been one of the top back row players in the SLC the past two seasons and 2005 is no different. With 118 digs in 25 games, the two-time honorable mention All-SLC libero leads the league with 4.72 digs per game, just ahead of two-time SLC Defensive Player of the Week Stephanie Figgers of Stephen F. Austin. McMillan has cruised up the school's career digs chart to seventh place with 1,179 and is on track to move into third all-time with her third consecutive 500-dig season. Daniel Delivers
A legitimate SLC Player of the Year candidate, Meagan Daniel has continued to impress as one of the league's top all-around players. Whether it is on the attack (witness her team-high 92 kills) on defense (75 digs) or with serve (13 aces), the Hereford native has an impact from just about anywhere on the floor. The only returning SLC player with two first-team all-conference selections in her portfolio, Daniel ranks in the league's top 10 in three different categories ‹ kills, aces and points. Setting The Table
Junior DeeDee Strickland continues to prove herself as one of the top setters in the Southland Conference and in UTSA history. The League City native finished her sophomore campaign with 1,403 assists, an average of 12.09 per game which ranked third in the league. With nearly two years of eligibility left, Strickland already ranks fourth on UTSA's career chart with 3,186 and needs just 81 helpers to catch Tamin Uthoff for third place. High-Percentage Hitter
Connie Picard, a junior middle blocker from Spring, has emerged as one of UTSA?s most consistent attackers over the past two seasons. After hitting just .208 as a freshman in 2003, Picard turned in a .252 hitting percentage last season with 351 kills and 144 errors on 823 total attacks. This season, Picard is attacking at a team-best .272 clip, a mark that ranks eighth in the league, and hit .500 with 15 kills in her first SLC match on Tuesday night. Also the team's top blocker, Picard has posted 22 total blocks including seven block assists in a 3-1 loss to Rice on Sept. 10. Preseason SLC 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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