SAN ANTONIO – Head volleyball coach Laura Neugebauer-Groff announced her program's schedule for the upcoming 2018 season on Wednesday. Ten home matches, including a three-match home tournament, will take place in the Convocation Center this fall, while another 16 road contests make up the 26-match slate.
"We are all really excited about the schedule we have put together for the upcoming season," Neugebauer-Groff said. "We want to compete for the conference championship every season and we feel confident that this schedule will prepare us for a tough conference slate.
Fans will get their first look at the 2018 UTSA squad on Aug. 16, when the Roadrunners host a scrimmage at the Convocation Center.
The Roadrunners officially open the season on the road in Army West Point's Army Invitational, Aug. 24-25. Over the two-day tournament UTSA is set to match up against an Army West Point squad that went 11-5 last season in the Patriot League, as well as Quinnipiac and San Francisco.
The following weekend, UTSA makes a trip to San Marcos to compete in the Creeds and Crests Classic, Aug. 30-31. The Roadrunners will open the tournament with a 7 p.m. match against I-35 rival Texas State on Thursday, Aug. 30, followed by matches against UIW and Abilene Christian on Friday, Aug. 31.
UTSA's 16 road contests also include a nonconference tournament at the University of Houston over Sept. 7-8, where the Roadrunners will square off against Houston Baptist, Cornell and host Houston.
The Roadrunners will then open their home slate with a four-match homestand, beginning with their second contest against Texas State. UTSA and the Bobcats are slatted to faceoff at the Convocation Center on Tuesday, Sept. 11.
The Birds continue their home stance with their UTSA Tournament, Sept. 14-16 . UTSA will welcome NCAA Tournament Semifinalist Baylor and Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) opponent Virginia Tech for the three-day tournament.
"We're also thrilled at what our fans are going to get to see at home," Neugebauer-Groff said. "Being able to bring high-quality teams like Baylor and Virginia Tech to the Convocation Center is not only going to help us grow as a team, but bring the national volleyball stage to our fans."
Conference USA action will begin on Friday, Sept. 21 when the Roadrunners host Southern Miss at the Convocation Center. UTSA stays home to host North Texas on Sunday, Sept. 23.
The Roadrunners, who finished 9-5 in C-USA last fall, then will head to Houston to take on Rice on Friday, Sept. 28 at Tudor Fieldhouse, before traveling to El Paso to challenge UTEP at Memorial Gym on Sunday, Sept. 30. League action will continue on the road when the Roadrunners travel to UAB on Sunday, Oct. 7 to battle the Blazers.
A weekend homestand will begin on Friday, Oct. 12 when UTSA hosts FIU at the Convocation Center. The Roadrunners follow with a match against Florida Atlantic on Sunday, Oct. 14 in front of the San Antonio crowd.
The Roadrunners will head to Charlotte, N.C. to face the Charlotte 49ners on Friday, Oct. 19 and then prepare for their Sunday match against Marshall on Sunday, Oct. 21 in Huntington, W.V.
UTSA closes out the month of October with a pair of home matches as the Roadrunners face Rice for the second time on Friday, Oct. 26, before hosting defending league champion WKU on Sunday, Oct. 28 at the Convocation Center.
The Roadrunners continue C-USA play with a visit to LA Tech in Ruston, La. on Friday, Nov. 1, before traveling to Murfreesboro, Tenn. to matchup against the Blue Raiders of Middle Tennessee on Sunday, Nov. 4.
UTSA concludes the regular-season with a final home stance against UTEP on Saturday, Nov. 10.
"Conference USA is an exciting conference to compete in, and we have the best fans in the conference," Groff said. "I know they will continue to create a loud and exciting environment that gives us a huge home-court advantage."
The Conference USA Tournament, hosted by Marshall in Huntington, W.V., will be held Nov. 16-18.
All regular season match-times will be announced at a later date.
