SAN ANTONIO – The Roadrunner volleyball team returns to action tomorrow, Oct. 29, as it hits the road for a match against North Texas, the fourth-ranked team in the conference. First serve is set for 1 p.m. and the match is being streamed on ESPN+.
The Roadrunners (7-15, 2-8) will look to pick up its first win since Oct. 7 against a North Texas squad (11-13, 5-4) that is 3-2 in its last five games. UNT and UTSA met earlier this year, on Oct. 16, where the Mean Green pulled off a 3-2 victory on UTSA's home court.
Leading the Roadrunners
The Roadrunners are led offensively by Rutgers transfer Cansu Günaydin who leads the team in both points (270.5) and kills (240) while being second on the team in aces (19). Günaydin has also tallied 158 digs, the second most on the team, and has 19 total blocks. She has appeared in all but one set on the season for the Roadrunners and has been the go-to offensive threat.
Two Roadrunners have appeared in all 84 sets on the season. Among those two is junior middle blocker Alicia Coppedge. Coppedge boasts 194.5 points on 154 kills as she sits second on the team in each category. On the defensive side of the net Coppedge leads all Roadrunners with 76 total blocks and also has 12 digs.
The other Roadrunner mainstay is true freshman defensive specialist Ava Camacho. Camacho leads the team with 369 digs, the fifth most in the conference, and has tallied the most digs amongst any C-USA player in a five-set match (40) and a four-set match (31). Camacho was named the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 3. Camacho also has 12 aces on the season, the fourth most by any UTSA player.
Senior setter Courtney Walters continues to set up her teammates, as the McKinney, Texas native has 562 assists on the season. Her 568 assists are the eighth most in the conference and Walters holds the second-most assists in a match by any C-USA player this season as she tallied 60 against McNeese earlier in the year.
Junior outside hitter Kelsey Carpenter is one of five Roadrunners who have over 100 points and 100 kills as the Midlothian, Texas native has 154 points with 135 kills. Her 2.05 kills per set are the second most on the team and not far behind her is freshman Katelyn Krienke who averages 2.01 per set. Krienke has tallied 162.5 points and also has 141 kills to date.
Scouting North Texas
UNT is led offensively by the dynamic duo of Treyaunna Rush and Aryn Johnson. Rush has notched 327 kills on the season, the second-most kills by any C-USA player to date. In the last meeting between UTSA and UNT, Johnson went off for 25 kills and powered the Mean Green to a five-set victory.
North Texas setter Ceci Harness has totaled 621 assists, the sixth-most in C-USA, and is averaging 6.75 assists per set. Harness is also second on the team in aces, tallying 18 to date. Harness is second to just Johnson (25) in terms of aces for UNT.
Aleeyah Galdeira leads the Mean Green in digs and has the second most digs (418 total) in the conference. Also on the defensive side of the net, North Texas has the conference block leader in Sh'Diamond Holly. Holly is up to 115 blocks for UNT.
Series history
UTSA and North Texas will meet for the 35th time in program history this Sunday. The Roadrunners hold the advantage in the series, which dates back to 1986, 20-14. In the last four meetings between the schools, the record sits at 2-2. The Roadrunners are 6-7 against the Mean Green in matches played in Denton.
Up next
UTSA will be back in action this Friday, Nov. 4, when it plays its second-straight road match at UAB. First serve is set for 7 p.m. and the match will be streamed on CUSA.tv.
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