27th Annual Southland Conference Tournament
Johnson Coliseum ? Nacogdoches, Texas
Nov. 21-23, 2008
Match 31: Friday, Nov. 21, No. 6 McNeese State (11-17), 11 a.m.
Match 32: Saturday, Nov. 22, No. 2 Lamar (14-11)/No. 7 Nicholls (9-17) winner, 1 p.m.
Match 33: Sunday, Nov. 23, Championship Match, 2 p.m.
It’s tourney time: UTSA (19-11) begins its sixth consecutive year of postseason play this weekend when it travels to Nacogdoches for the 27th annual Southland Conference Tournament. The Roadrunners, winners of eight of their last 11 matches, finished the regular season in third place in the SLC’s West Division at 11-5 and earned the league’s No. 3 seed by virtue of their Oct. 18 sweep of tournament host Stephen F. Austin (Ladyjacks also finished 11-5 in East). UTSA will play sixth-seeded McNeese State (11-17) at 11 a.m. on Friday. A victory would give the Roadrunners their first 20-win campaign since 2000 and first under the direction of seventh-year head coach Laura Neugebauer-Groff. The winner will face either No. 2 Lamar or seventh-seeded Nicholls at 1 p.m. on Saturday. The championship match is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sunday and the winner of that contest will earn the league’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
On the Web: All UTSA tournament matches will be streamed live on goUTSA.com (audio only/free of charge). Associate Sports Information Director Brian Hernandez will call all the action from courtside. The Southland Conference will offer a live video stream at southland.org (subscription required).
UTSA and the SLC Tournament: The Roadrunners are making their 14th appearance in the postseason tournament since joining the Southland Conference in 1991. UTSA owns an 8-13 mark in its 21 all-time matches and has played for the league title two times. The Roadrunners won the 2000 SLC Tournament Championship with a four-set victory against Lamar and were swept by Texas State in the 2005 final. Since 2000, UTSA has won six of 12 tournament matches.
Scouting McNeese State: McNeese State comes into the tournament with an 11-17 overall record and the Cowgirls finished the SLC campaign at 7-9. Dale Starr’s club saw its three-match winning streak come to an end on Saturday with a four-set loss at Southeastern Louisiana. Friday will mark the 38th all-time meeting between the Roadrunners and Cowgirls. UTSA holds a 20-17 advantage in the series that dates back to the 1991 season. The Roadrunners rallied from a 2-0 deficit and posted a five-set win on Oct. 15 in Lake Charles, La. UTSA has won three of the last four meetings and seven of the past nine overall. Four of the previous five matchups have gone the distance.
Lucky number 20: UTSA is one victory shy of posting its first 20-win campaign since the 2000 season and eighth in program history. The Roadrunners currently are tied for the most wins during the Laura Neugebauer-Groff era. Groff led the 2003 and ’05 squads to 19 wins apiece.
Quartet earns All-SLC honors: Sophomore outside hitter Kendra Rowland and freshman libero Kelsey Jewasko led a quartet of Roadrunners named to the All-Southland Conference teams, the league announced on Tuesday. Rowland and Jewasko were named to the 12-member first team, while junior middle hitter Stefanie Robbins and freshman setter Amber Brooks were honorable mention selections. Jewasko and Robbins picked up additional hardware, as they were tabbed Libero and Newcomer of the Year, respectively. Rowland and Jewasko became the 13th and 14th players in school history to be named to the league’s first team and it marks the sixth consecutive year that a UTSA student-athlete has represented the program on the SLC’s top squad. Jewasko also became the first player in school annals to earn Libero of the Year honors and Robbins became the third Roadrunner to collect Newcomer of the Year accolades.
Team leaderboard: Sophomore outside hitter Kendra Rowland leads the Roadrunners with an SLC-best 421 kills (3.8 per set) and junior middle hitter Stefanie Robbins is hitting a team-best .286. Freshman setter Amber Brooks has a team-high 1,074 assists (9.3 ps) and 39 service aces. Freshman libero Kelsey Jewasko has a league-leading 515 digs (4.4 ps) and Robbins has collected a squad-best 78 total blocks (10 solo/68 assists).
Jewasko moving up the charts: Freshman libero Kelsey Jewasko has racked up an SLC-best 515 digs in her first season in navy blue and orange and that total ranks sixth on the program’s single-season list. Jewasko needs just five more digs to move into fifth place and 27 for fourth.
League leaders: Sophomore outside hitter Kendra Rowland currently leads the Southland Conference in kills (421) and kills per set (3.8). Meanwhile, freshman libero Kelsey Jewasko paces the circuit in digs (515) and digs per set (4.4).
Others on the SLC leaderboard: Freshman setter Amber Brooks stands second in the conference with 1,074 assists (9.3 ps/fifth) and junior middle hitter Stefanie Robbins ranks eighth in hitting percentage (286). Brooks (0.3) and sophomore Valorie Rogers (0.9) are 10th in service aces and blocks per set, respectively.
Defense leading the way: One of the primary reasons for UTSA’s success this season has been the play of its back row. The Roadrunners have racked up an SLC-best 1,857 digs (16.0 ps) and five players have at least 200 digs, led by freshman Kelsey Jewasko’s league-leading 515. Sophomore outside hitter Kendra Rowland ranks second on the squad with 306 digs, while freshman outside hitter Elise Huskey (299), senior defensive specialist Audrey Hiser (291) and freshman setter Amber Brooks (218) also have eclipsed the 200-digs plateau.
Rowland rolling: Sophomore outside hitter Kendra Rowland, a preseason first-team All-SLC choice and second teamer a year ago, leads the league with 421 kills, 3.8 winners per set and 16 double-doubles this fall. The Antioch, Calif., native also has registered 306 digs (2.7 ps), 34 total blocks, 23 assists and 19 service aces. She has recorded double-figure kills in 25 matches this year, including an SLC season-high 24 on Sept. 10 against Georgia. Rowland earned SLC Offensive Player of the Week honors on Sept. 15 after she was named the Most Valuable Player of the DePaul Invitational.
Jewasko picks up SLC Libero of the Year honors: Freshman Kelsey Jewasko’s outstanding first campaign as a Roadrunner has not gone unnoticed, as she was named the Southland Conference Libero of the Year on Tuesday. The San Antonio native has registered a conference-leading 515 digs (No. 6 UTSA history) this fall and has been in double figures in all but two matches. She has collected 20 or more digs eight times, including a career-best 27 on Sept. 27 against Texas State. Jewasko earned SLC Defensive Player of the Week honors following that performance.
Robbins named SLC Newcomer of the Year: Junior middle hitter Stefanie Robbins has been a key cog in the Roadrunners offensive and defensive attacks this season and the transfer from Blinn College was named the Southland Conference Newcomer of the Year on Tuesday. Robbins leads the Roadrunners and ranks 10th in the league with a .286 hitting percentage and she also is pacing the squad with 78 total blocks (10 solo/68 assists). The Three Rivers native also ranks second on the team with 262 kills.
Brooks no ordinary freshman: Freshman setter Amber Brooks has made an immediate impact running the Roadrunners offense in her first campaign in navy blue and orange. The Alvin native has posted the second-most assists in the circuit (1,074) and ranks fifth in helpers per set (9.3). She has registered 50 assists five times this year, including a career-best 56 on Sept. 26 against UT Arlington, and 40 in 10 other contests. Brooks, who also leads UTSA with 39 service aces, has collected 218 digs, 93 kills and 37 total blocks this year.
Head Coach Laura Neugebauer-Groff: Laura Neugebauer-Groff is in her seventh season at the helm of UTSA?s volleyball program. She has led the Roadrunners to their third 19-win campaign during her tenure this season. Her career ledger stands at 368-172 (.681), including a 112-110 mark at UTSA. Neugebauer-Groff has tutored 23 All-SLC players and 13 all-academic honorees, including 2005 SLC Student-Athlete of the Year Meagan Daniel. Under her guidance, UTSA also has advanced to six consecutive conference tournaments and the program was honored with the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s Team Academic Award a year ago.
