CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – UTSA volleyball got double-doubles from Hunter Coppola, Hannah Lopez and Courtney Walters, and a 21-kill performance from freshman Amanda Ifeanyi, in a five-set win (22-25, 25-23, 25-16, 25-27, 18-16), on Friday afternoon in the 2020-21 season opener for both teams at the Dugan Wellness Center on the campus of Texas A&M-Corpus Christ.
UTSA (1-0) outlasted UTRGV (0-1) in a five-set thriller to open the season. The Roadrunners dropped the first set, 25-22 before roaring back with consecutive set wins in the second (25-23) and third (25-16). UTRGV forced a fifth set with a 27-25 win in the fourth and UTSA outlasted its foes with an 18-16 win in the fifth set.
Coppola, Lopez and Walters each chipped in double-doubles to highlight UTSA offensive attack, which hit .284 as a team, notching 64 assists and 12 service aces. Coppola had 12 kills and 16 digs, with Lopez adding 16 kills and 22 digs. Walters, a native of McKinney, Texas, had 52 assists and 13 digs, chipping in six kills.
Ifeanyi had 21 kills on 34 attacks – a .529 hitting percentage – accounting for 22.5 points with a block and one dig.
UTSA also had three kills from freshman Alicia Coppedge and 12 kills from Bianca Ejesieme, a 2019 C-USA Freshman Team selection.
UTRGV had 50 assists from Makenzie Coates and 19 kills from Veronika Jandova, hitting .239 as a team.
UTSA will return to action on Saturday with its finale in Corpus Christi, facing host Texas A&M-CC at 1 p.m.
- UTSA -
