SAN ANTONIO — First place in the Conference USA standings will be on the line this weekend when UTSA will welcome Western Kentucky and Rice to the Convocation Center. The league co-leading Hilltoppers will square off with the Roadrunners at 7 p.m. on Friday before the third-place Owls come to the Alamo City for a 1 p.m. matchup two days later.
UTSA (11-7, 7-0 C-USA) and Western Kentucky (19-4, 7-0 C-USA) will be meeting for the first time in program history. WKU, C-USA's newest member, has rattled off eight consecutive wins dating back to Sept. 23. The Hilltoppers, who have won five of their seven road contests, have faced teams on their schedule that the Roadrunners have yet to play this season. Western Kentucky is hitting a league-best (conference only matches) .306, while holding opponents to a .153 attack percentage. Reigning C-USA Offensive Player of the Week, Alyssa Cavanaugh, leads the Hilltoppers with 3.18 kills per set on the strength of a .263 hitting percentage. Meanwhile, Noelle Langenkamp is hitting .367 and is second on the team with 74 blocks.
The Roadrunners, also winners of eight straight, hold the third-best hitting percentage in league-only contests with a .294 clip while holding the opposition to a .152 attack percentage. UTSA’s defense is among the nation's best, as it averages a league-leading 17.08 digs per set (26th NCAA). Dajana Boskovic paces the offense with 4.24 kills per set and she adds 2.39 digs and 0.80 blocks per frame. Kylie Schott holds a circuit-best .410 hitting percentage (27th NCAA) and she also leads the Birds with 62 blocks.
Rice (15-5, 5-1 C-USA), winners of four matches in a row, will face UTEP on Friday before coming to the Convo. The Owls are second in the conference with a .253 hitting percentage. Rice holds a 15-2 advantage in the all-series, but it was the Roadrunners who took the last meeting in five sets last season in San Antonio.