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SAN ANTONIO -- UTSA volleyball will conclude its regular-season schedule on Saturday, hosting UTEP at 12 p.m. CT at the Convocation Center.
ON THE HORIZON
UTSA (18-7, 10-3 Conference USA) will conclude its regular-season schedule with second-place in the league on the line vs. UTEP (5-19, 2-10 C-USA) on Saturday. The Roadrunners are seeking to finish the year 11-3 in conference play, with the potential to be equal with both FAU, WKU and North Texas at 11-3. The C-USA Championships will be held next weekend, Nov. 16-18 in Huntington, W.Va. Rice enters the final weekend as the league champions with a 12-0 record with two games remaining.
QUEST FOR 20
The Roadrunners are seeking to earn their 20th win of the year for the seventh time in the last nine years under the direction of Coach Laura Neugebauer-Groff. UTSA has 13 total 20-win seasons in program history.
LEADING THE RUNNERS
UTSA has totaled 14 kills, 13.2 assists, 1.5 aces, 15.9 digs and 1.8 blocks per set as a team. The Roadrunners have been led by freshmen Kirby Smith and Hannah Lopez as outside hitters, with Smith owning 3.02 kills and 2.93 digs per set. Lopez has 2.91 kills and 1.74 digs per set.
Juniors Brianna McCulloch and Kara Teal have anchored the lineup, with Teal sporting 2.35 kills and 0.84 blocks per set with a .331 hitting percentage. McCulloch sports 2.79 kills and 0.53 blocks per set. Sophomore middle hitter Hannah Froeschl has hit .288 with 2.22 kills and 0.71 blocks per set. Senior libero Shelby Williams leads the team with 4.25 digs per set, adding a team-high 29 service aces. Senior setter Amanda Gonzales has averaged 8.16 assists per set in 2018 and 1.91 digs per set. Freshman setter Mia Perales sports 4.52 assists and 1.77 digs per set.
SERIES HISTORY
The all-time series with UTEP is led by the Minors, 21-20 but UTSA has won nine consecutive meetings in the series. UTSA sports an 8-9 record vs. UTEP at home in a series that dates back to 1983.
LAST MEETING
The Roadrunners escaped a five-set thriller at UTEP on Sept. 30 with a win, claiming the first two sets, before dropping the following two to claim a 15-12 win. Senior Amanda Gonzales led the team with a double-double in the win, collecting 36 assists and 18 digs. Kirby Smith had 21 kills and 13 digs, with Hannah Froeschl adding 14 kills. Brianna McCulloch (10), Kara Teal (13) and Hannah Lopez (12) each had double-figure kills. Shelby Williams had a team-high 26 digs.
LAST TIME OUT
Last weekend, UTSA earned a pair of wins with a 6-1 record in two matches. UTSA won on Friday at Louisiana Tech in four, before sweeping Middle Tennessee on Sunday in Murfreesboro. The Roadrunners dropped the opening set of the weekend before winning the final six. UTSA used a career outing from Montse Castro at LA Tech, with Castro notching 11 kills on 19 swings with two blocks. Amanda Gonzales had a double-double with 24 assists and 11 digs. Shelby Williams sported a team-high 17 digs with six assists. In the sweep at MTSU, UTSA saw 18 assists with five digs from Gonzales. Lope had a team-high 10 kills and Mia Perales sported 14 assists.
SENIORS
Saturday will mark the final regular-season match for UTSA seniors Ashley Dominguez, Amanda Gonzales and Shelby Williams.
Dominguez
A senior defensive specialist, Ashley Dominguez has been a weapon for the Roadrunners since arriving in 2017 from North Dakota. A native of San Antonio, she has played in 46 matches over two years and owns 112 digs. Dominguez has a career-best nine service aces as a senior. In a win at Charlotte in October, Dominguez had a career outing with 12 digs off the bench.
Gonzales
One of the top setters in program history, Amanda Gonzales has had a decorated career after prepping at New Braunfels High School. Gonzales has played in 95 career matches and ranks third in program history in career assists. She has a team-leading 35 career double-doubles and sports over 700 career digs. As a senior, Gonzales has helped lead UTSA to a strong season, owning 800 assists – good for 8.16 assists per set – and 214 digs.
Williams
A product of New Braunfels' Canyon High School, Shelby Williams has been a vital member of the UTSA lineup throughout her career. Williams has played in 114 career matches and owns over 1,200 digs, 200 assists and 100 aces. As a senior, Williams has starred in the libero role, owning career highs in every statistical category. She ranks among the league leaders in service aces, digs and digs per set in 2018.
- UTSA -
