SAN ANTONIO – Coach Carol Price-Torok and the UTSA volleyball team will wrap up their two-game road trip Sunday, Oct. 9, as the Roadrunners take on the 25th-ranked Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Diddle Arena. First serve is set for noon CT and the match will be streamed for free on Facebook Live via the Hilltopper Sports Satellite Network (HSSN) Facebook page.
The Roadrunners (7-9, 2-2) will face a tough test in Western Kentucky (16-2, 4-0), as the Hilltoppers are riding a ridiculous 48-match conference win streak. The Hilltoppers have not lost a regular season Conference USA matchup since 2018. Western Kentucky has swept its opponents in 11 of its 18 matches so far on the year.
The teams share one common opponent on the season in Middle Tennessee. UTSA is entering Sunday's match after a 3-1 victory over MTSU while WKU easily dispatched MTSU earlier this season, winning 3-0.
Leading the Roadrunners
Four different Roadrunners have appeared in all 61 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 208 points scored and 187 kills, both of which rank top ten in C-USA and lead the team. Through 16 matches, Günaydin has 13 aces, the second most on the team, as well as 133 digs and a total of 13 blocks.
Also appearing in all 61 sets is junior middle blocker Amanda Ifeanyi who is second on the team in points with 152.5 points to date. Ifeanyi has 128 kills and a .329 hitting percentage, the best on the team. On defense, Ifeanyi has 32 digs and 43 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 (135) and kills (106). Coppedge has been a star on defense as she currently leads the Roadrunners in total blocks with 55. As a true freshman, Camacho leads the team in digs with 279 and has ten aces to her name. Camacho played so well this last week against FAU and La Tech that she was named the C-USA Defensive Player of the Week.
Senior setter Courtney Walters continues to set up her teammates, as the McKinney, Texas native has 422 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 128.5 points with 112 kills. Her 2.22 kills per set are the second most on the team and are just ahead of freshman Katelyn Krienke. Krienke has tallied 118.5 points on 103 kills in 14 matches.
Scouting the Hilltoppers
Western Kentucky is led offensively by the duo of Paige Briggs and Lauren Matthews. The two seniors each have over 200 kills on the season as well as over 200 points. Also pacing the offensive attack is setter Callie Bauer. Bauer has won setter of the week three times so far this season and has notched 646 assists, averaging 10.77 assists per match.
On the defensive side of the net, four different Hilltoppers have at least 100 digs on the season. Katie Isenbarger (72) and Matthews (67) lead the team in blocks.
Series history
Western Kentucky is 7-1 against the Roadrunners all-time and has won seven straight following a first-meeting loss with UTSA. The two teams have met in Bowling Green three times with the Hilltoppers taking all three sets. The last time the two schools met was in 2019 when WKU swept UTSA 3-0.
Up next
UTSA will be back in action next Friday, Oct. 14, when it hosts the Charlotte 49ers. First serve is set for 6 p.m. and the game will be streamed on CUSA.tv. Fans that attend Friday's match are encouraged to dress in the 80s style as the match is 80s Flashback Night theme.
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