? Pre-match notes (.pdf)
Matches 13-16: at Lady Panther Invitational
Nicks Building ? Prairie View, Texas
Match 13: Friday, Sept. 14, vs. Air Force, 11:30 a.m.
Match 14: Friday, Sept. 14, at Prairie View A&M, 1:30 p.m.
Match 15: Saturday, Sept. 15, vs. Texas Southern, 11:30 a.m.
Match 16: Saturday, Sept. 15, vs. Texas-Pan American, 3:30 p.m.
UTSA heads east for final tournament of year: UTSA (4-8) will play in its final preseason tournament of the year this weekend when it travels to Prairie View A&M for the two-day Lady Panther Invitational. The Roadrunners, who are scheduled to play two matches both days, open at 11:30 a.m. on Friday against Air Force (5-5) before facing tournament host Prairie View A&M (4-6) at 1:30 p.m. UTSA concludes play on Saturday with an 11:30 a.m. match against Texas Southern (1-7) and 3:30 p.m. tilt against Texas -Pan American (2-10).
Scouting the opposition: Air Force brings a 5-5 record into this weekend’s invitational. The Falcons, who lost their Mountain West Conference opener to Wyoming on Tuesday, have dropped three of their last four contests. Air Force has won both previous meetings with UTSA (Nov. 16-17, 1990). Tournament host Prairie View A&M has been swept in its last three matches and has a 4-6 mark this season. The Roadrunners have a perfect 10-0 record all-time against the Lady Panthers, a ledger that includes eight sweeps. Texas Southern has lost seven of its eight matches this season and UTSA has a 7-0 record all-time against the Tigers. Saturday will mark the first meeting in 12 years between the two programs. Texas Pan-American, which has dropped six matches in a row, owns a 2-10 ledger this year. The Roadrunners, who swept the Lady Broncs on Aug. 28, have won 34 contests in a row against UTPA dating back to Sept. 28, 1984, and hold a commanding 34-2 edge in the all-time series. UTSA has not lost to Pan American since dropping the first two meetings between the schools in 1983 (Oct. 14 & 15). It is the second-longest active streak between non-conference foes in the country.
Prior named to SLC’s preseason first team: Junior middle hitter Victoria Prior, one of 12 players named to the Southland Conference’s Preseason First Team, has been a force in her third season as a Roadrunner. Prior leads the squad with a .301 hitting percentage, is tied for the team lead with 33 total blocks (10 solo/23 assists) and ranks second with 143 kills (3.5 pg). She has been named to back-to-back all-tournament teams the past two weekends at the UTSA Classic (46 kills, .389 pct, 8 blocks) and North Florida Labor Day Classic (36 kills, .275 pct, 8 digs, 4 blocks). The Galveston native had a season-high 21 winners against Louisiana Tech last Saturday and she has been in double figures in five of her last seven matches.
Rowland off to hot start: Freshman outside hitter Kendra Rowland continues to show she is no ordinary first-year player. Rowland leads the team with 157 kills (3.8 pg), is tied for the squad lead with nine service aces and stands third with 115 digs (2.8 pg) and 16 total blocks (2 solo/14 assists). She has recorded at least 10 winners in five matches of her last six contests and also has five double-doubles this season. Last Thursday against Houston, the Antioch, Calif., native slammed home a career-high 29 kills, which was the most by a Roadrunner since Meagan Daniel had 29 on Nov. 11, 2005 (at Northwestern State). Rowland opened her career by being named to back-to-back all-tournament teams at the Bronco Invitational (28 kills, 2 aces, 13 digs) and North Florida Labor Day Classic (34 kills, 3 aces, 36 digs, 3 blocks).
Hiser controlling back row: After a slow start to her junior season, defensive specialist Audrey Hiser has stepped her game up the past two weeks. Hiser had a career-high 27 digs last Thursday against Houston, which was her second career best in as many matches (she had 26 on Sept. 1 vs. Southeast Missouri State). Her previous career high was 22, set during her freshman year against Oklahoma (Sept. 11). The San Antonio native went on to record 25 digs against Texas A&M on Saturday and 26 more on Tuesday at SMU. She has four 20-plus performances in the past six contests and leads the team with 177 digs (4.7 pg) this year.
Hrapmann setting up the offense: Junior setter Rebecca Hrapmann has performed well in her first season as a starter. Hrapmann has handed out team-best 408 assists (10.0 pg), including a career-high 64 on Sept. 1 against Southeast Missouri State. In her last nine matches, she has dished out 345 helpers for an average of 38.3 per contest. The New Orleans native also ranks second on the club with 116 digs (2.8 pg) and she has twice set her career high with 16 (at Boise State, vs. North Florida). Hrapmann is replacing four-time All-Southland Conference performer DeeDee Strickland, who graduated with the second-most assists in school history (5,407).
Preseason polls: UTSA was picked to finish fourth in the West Division of the Southland Conference this season by both the league’s head coaches and sports information directors. The Roadrunners were slotted behind defending regular season champion Stephen F. Austin, Texas-Arlington and Texas State. Meanwhile, McNeese State was the pick to win the league’s East Division.
Head coach Laura Neugebauer-Groff: Laura Neugebauer-Groff is in her sixth season at the helm of UTSA?s volleyball program. She led the Roadrunners to a 19-13 record, a 10-3 mark at the Convocation Center and a berth in the Southland Conference Tournament a year ago. Her career ledger stands at 340-148 (.697), including an 84-86 mark at UTSA. In five-plus years as the Roadrunners’ head coach, she has tutored 13 All-SLC players and 11 all-academic honorees, including 2005 SLC Student-Athlete of the Year Meagan Daniel.
