SAN ANTONIO – The UTSA volleyball team will open its 2020-21 season with a spring schedule lidlifter, traveling to face UTRGV and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in Corpus Christi, Texas, on Friday and Saturday.
UTSA will open its 2020-21 season with a pair of matchups in Corpus Christi, Texas, taking on UTRGV in its season opener on Friday at 1:30 p.m., before taking on the host Islanders on Saturday at 1 p.m. on the Islanders Digital Network.
The Roadrunners are coming off a 16-14 season in 2019, including an 8-6 record in Conference USA play. UTSA is under the direction of 19th-year head coach Laura Neugebauer-Groff – the winningest coach in program history.
UTSA welcomes several newcomers to the roster for the spring season, including freshmen Kelsey Carpenter, Alicia Coppedge, Amanda Efeanyi and Maddie Thayer. UTSA welcomes several transfers, including Jessica Langridge, Alison Jennings and Alexis Pratt to the roster.
The Roadrunners return All-Conference USA Freshman Team selection Bianca Ejesieme from 2019. A native of Rowlett, Texas, Ejesieme averaged 1.95 kills per set in her collegiate debut, adding 35 digs and 22 blocks. She hit for a .258 percentage.
UTSA also returns a pair of standout setters from 2019, including junior Mia Perales and sophomore Courtney Walters. Perales averaged 4.25 assists per set, while Walters totaled 7.62 assists per set. Walters added 1.95 digs per set.
Juniors Hannah Lopez totaled 2.83 kills and 2.22 digs per set, while Kirby Smith – the 2018 C-USA Freshman of the Year – averaged 2.43 kills and 2.22 digs per set, adding 29 service aces.
The Roadrunners averaged 13.1 kills, 12.4 assists, 1.7 aces and 15.0 digs per set as a team in 2019. UTSA hit .224 as a team in 2019.
UTRGV went 14-17 and 8-8 in the Western Athletics Conference last year, which included a 3-2 win over TAMU-CC in Corpus Christi.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is coming off a 19-12 season and an 11-5 mark in the Southland Conference.
- UTSA -
