SAN ANTONIO – After picking up its first Conference USA victory in Friday night's home match against Florida Atlantic, UTSA is looking to make it two in a row as it welcomes Louisiana Tech to town. The two teams are scheduled to meet this Sunday, Oct. 2, in a match that will begin at noon and will be broadcast on CUSA.tv.
The Roadrunners (6-8, 1-1) will meet the Lady Techsters (7-10, 1-2) in a battle of two teams that are trying to notch their second conference victory of the season.
While the Roadrunners are looking to make it two wins in a row, La Tech is looking to end a two-game slide. Both UTSA and La Tech have one common opponent on the season as both teams were swept by top-25 Rice.
Sunday afternoon's match is a Let's Go 210 game and fans are encouraged to attend and show off their pride for UTSA and the city of San Antonio.
Leading the Roadrunners
Four different Roadrunners have appeared in all 54 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 189.5 points scored and 171 kills, both of which rank top ten in C-USA. Through 14 matches, Günaydin has 12 aces, the second most on the team, as well as 118 digs and a total of ten blocks.
Also appearing in all 54 sets is junior middle blocker Amanda Ifeanyi who is second on the team in points with 132.5 points to date. Ifeanyi has 110 kills and a .329 hitting percentage, the best on the team. On defense, Ifeanyi has 23 digs and 39 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 (116) and kills (93). Coppedge has been a star on defense as she currently leads the Roadrunners in total blocks with 44. As a true freshman, Camacho leads the team in digs with 246 and has eight aces to her name.
Senior setter Courtney Walters continues to set the table for her teammates, as the McKinney, Texas native has 378 assists on the season. Junior outside hitter Kelsey Carpenter is one of five Roadrunners currently over 100 points on the season as the Midlothian, Texas native has 112 points with 96 kills. Her 2.09 kills per set are the third most on the team and are right behind freshman Katelyn Krienke. Krienke has tallied 105 points on 92 kills in just ten matches.
Scouting the Lady Techsters
Louisiana Tech is led offensively by a quartet of student-athletes that have over 100 points as Andrea Spasojevic (162.5), Ashley Taylor (131.5), Sydney Jackwin (120.5) and Chard'e Vanzandt (103.5) pace the Lady Techsters
La Tech setter Ashley Jones has totaled 347 assists through 12 matches and is averaging 8.26 assists per set. Jones also has 14 aces on the season, the second most on the squad.
On the defensive side of the net, McKenzie Johnson leads the Lady Techsters in digs with 200 while Taylor (44) and Morgan Smith (25) lead the team in blocks.
Series history
UTSA is 15-2 all-time in meetings against the Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters, with the last two meetings between the teams coming last season. Due to limited travel as the world recovered from COVID, UTSA hosted La Tech for two matches in two days, outscoring the Lady Techsters 6-1 across the two days. The Roadrunners are 8-0 against La Tech in matches played in San Antonio.
Up next
UTSA will return to action this Friday, Oct. 7, as it heads to Murfreesboro, Tenn. for a meeting with the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders. Friday's match is set to begin at 6 p.m. and will be streamed on CUSA.tv
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