SAN ANTONIO — The top two teams in Conference USA will visit the Alamo City this weekend as the Roadrunners host Rice on Friday, Oct. 21, at 6 p.m. and WKU on Sunday, Oct. 23, at 12:30 p.m. at the Convocation Center.
UTSA (14-4) bounced back nicely from its loss at Marshall with wins over Middle Tennessee and UTEP last weekend. The Roadrunners remain perfect at home with a 6-0 mark with its win over the Miners. With one month left in the regular season, UTSA sits tied for third in the standings with Florida Atlantic with a 5-1 record in conference play.
The Roadrunners hold onto its second-best hitting percentage in the conference with a .251 clip and also rank second in opponent hitting percentage, allowing a .180 attack percentage. Dajana Boskovic continues to lead the offensive charge for UTSA as she is averaging a league-best and NCAA 10th best 4.62 kills per set.
First up on the weekend for UTSA will be Rice as the Owls are second in the conference with a 14-8 overall record and 6-1 mark in the league. The Owls have won its last two contests against UAB and Marshall after falling to Florida Atlantic in its lone loss in league action.
Junior Portia Okafor ranks in the top-10 in the conference in hitting with a .319 attack percentage while Chelsey Harris (3.52 kps) and Leah Mikesky (3.17 kps) rank fourth and 10th, respectively, in kills per set. The league also recognized Okafor this week as Defensive Player of the Week while Madison McDaniel picked up her second weekly award of the season.
WKU (20-2, 7-0), the top team in the league, heads to San Antonio on Sunday in a rematch of the 2015 C-USA Volleyball Championship finals match. The Lady Hilltoppers have now won 11 straight with its only two losses of the season coming to nationally ranked clubs.
The Lady Hilltoppers boast the leagues best hitting percentage of a .304 clip, which ranks sixth in the nation. Sophomore Rachel Anderson (.386) and junior Alyssa Cavanaugh (.353) represent WKU in the top-10 in hitting percentage, ranking second and fifth, while Cavanaugh averages a C-USA second best 4.38 kills per set.
Preseason Player of the Year Jessica Lucas also tops the league in assists with 11.53 per set and has also won six of the season's eight Setter of the Week awards.
Rice leads the all-time series over UTSA with a 16-6 record while WKU leads the series 2-1. Sunday's match against WKU will also be designated as the annual Dig Pink match. Fans are encouraged to wear pink attire in honor of those currently fighting or have lost the battle to this terrible disease. A silent auction will also be going on during the match with all proceeds benefiting the Sideout Foundation.
