SAN ANTONIO – Following its Conference USA-opening match at Rice, UTSA will return home to face off with the Florida Atlantic Owls Friday, Sept. 30, at 6 p.m. The match will be streamed on CUSA.tv.
The Roadrunners (5-8, 0-1) will host Florida Atlantic (10-4, 0-2) as both teams look to earn their first conference victory of 2022.
UTSA enters Friday's match coming off its conference-opener on the road at then No. 23 Rice. The nationally ranked Owls dropped UTSA to 0-1 in conference play.
FAU comes to San Antonio in a bit of a slide as the Owls have dropped their last three matches by a combined total of 9-1. Florida Atlantic opened conference play with two straight home games, dropping both to North Texas and UTEP.
Friday night's match is beach themed and fans are encouraged to show up in appropriate beach attire.
Leading the Roadrunners
Four different Roadrunners have appeared in all 49 sets so far for UTSA. Among those four players is newcomer Cansu Günaydin who is leading the way for the UTSA offense. The Rutgers transfer has a team-high 168 points scored and 151 kills. Through 13 matches, Günaydin has 12 aces, the second most on the team, as well as 104 digs and a total of eight blocks.
Also appearing in all 49 sets is junior middle blocker Amanda Ifeanyi who is second on the team in points with 113.5 points to date. Ifeanyi has 93 kills and a .306 hitting percentage. On defense, Ifeanyi has 22 digs and 36 total blocks, the second most on the team.
The other two Roadrunners who have played in each set are fellow middle blocker Alicia Coppedge and freshman defensive specialist Ava Camacho. Coppedge sits at third on the team in points (105.5) and kills (84). Coppedge has been a star on defense as she currently leads the Roadrunners in total blocks with 41. As a true freshman, Camacho leads the team in digs with 209 and has six aces to her name.
Senior setter Courtney Walters continues to set the table for her teammates, as the McKinney, Texas native has 360 assists on the season. Junior outside hitter Kelsey Carpenter is one of four Roadrunners currently over 100 points on the season as the Midlothian, Texas native has 101.5 points on 86 kills. Her 2.10 kills per set are the third most on the team and are right behind freshman Katelyn Krienke. Krienke has tallied 92.5 points on 81 kills in just nine matches.
Observing the Owls
Florida Atlantic has three student-athletes that have notched over 100 kills through 14 matches so far this season as Valeria Rosado (165), Klara Zarnovicka (125) and Katelynn Robine (116) lead the offensive charge for the Owls.
FAU setter Noelle Stephens has totaled 450 assists through 14 matches, the third most in C-USA, and is averaging 9.78 assists per set. Stephens also has 10 aces on the season.
On the defensive side of the net, Camryn Vogler leads FAU in digs with 159 while Lauryn Green (39) and Zarnovicka (32) lead the team in blocks.
Series history
UTSA and Florida Atlantic will meet Friday for the first time since the 2019 season. In the two teams' last meeting, FAU claimed its first-ever victory over UTSA, sweeping the Roadrunners in Boca Raton. Overall, the two teams have met on the court nine times with UTSA holding the all-time advantage of 8-1.
Up next
UTSA will be back in action on Sunday, Oct. 2, as UTSA welcomes Louisiana Tech to town for an afternoon showdown. Sunday's match is a Let's Go 210 game where fans are encouraged to attend and show off their pride for the city of San Antonio. Sunday's match will begin at noon and will be streamed on CUSA.tv.
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