Roadrunners announce three additionsRoadrunners announce three additions
Jeff Huehn/UTSA Athletics
Volleyball

Roadrunners announce three additions

SAN ANTONIO – UTSA volleyball coach Carol Price-Torok has announced the addition of three student-athletes as part of the Roadrunners' 2023 recruiting class.
 
The incoming players include Miranda Putnicki, Peyton Turner and Makenna Wiepert.
 
Coach Price-Torok on the class
"I'm excited for our first class that we've had some time to scout. It's a really diverse group of high volleyball players that play for elite clubs. They all have high volleyball IQs and are super excited about the vision of what we're doing and where we're going. The group is complementary to the girls already in our gym and they'll help elevate our team as we head toward the American." Coach Price-Torok continued, "The biggest thing we looked for was their competitive drive and to want to be great and to build something. We wanted players that wanted to come in here and get gritty and do the work to help UTSA achieve the championship level that it was in the past."
 
Miranda Putnicki • MH • Gunter, Texas • Gunter HS

Quoting Coach: "Miranda is a physical middle, and you can't teach the size that she has. She's solid on defense and will help add a presence at the net for us. Her physicality will be vital as we build out our vision of this team. I'm excited to get her here early this spring and get her integrated into the team because she adds huge depth to our middle position. Her offensive potential is untapped and I'm excited to watch her grow."

About Putnicki:
Not only dominant on the court, but also earned academic All-District each of her four years of high school. In her junior season, was named a Texas Sportswriters All-State player, the 3A Blocker of the Year and was named to the TGCA All-Star Team. In both 2020 and 2021, Putnicki was named All-Texomaland. She holds the Gunter school record for most career blocks, finishing her career with just over 400. Putnicki helped lead Gunter to four district championships and saw her team win the state tournament in both 2020 and 2022. Putnicki didn't just set records at her high school, but also with her club team as Putnicki claimed the single season block record with her Skyline club.
 
Peyton Turner • DS • Lisle, Illinois • Benet Academy

Quoting Coach: "As we continue to elevate our backcourt, Peyton brings a steady calmness to her level of play. One of the things that stood out in her recruitment is her drive to be great and compete at the highest level. She's very quick and will be a great addition to our backcourt."
 
About Turner:
Has earned numerous individual accolades over her career, including three from this past season where she made the Land of Lincoln All-Tournament Team, the SPVB Presidents Day Challenge All-Tournament Team and was named an AAU 17 Club All-American. Turner also helped lead her school to first place in the conference last fall and led them to become the Illinois Super-Sectional Champions this fall. Her AAU squad was named the 17 Club National Champion.
 
Makenna Wiepert • S • Sherwood, Oregon • Wilsonville HS

Quoting Coach: "Makenna's energy is contagious and the thing I'm most excited about is how she's going to elevate our gym from a competitive standpoint. I think she and Mekaila Aupiu will play really well together and I'm excited to see how she comes in and impacts our offense. She finds ways to put her hitters in great situations and that's the key to a successful setter."
 
About Wiepert:
Was a four-year varsity player and a three-year starter who earned second-team all-state in her junior season. Her high school was the back-to-back Oregon State Runner-Up. Earned First-Team All-League honors in the Northwest Oregon Conference after both her junior and senior seasons. Her play during her senior campaign resulted in her earning the 2022 Northwest Oregon Conference Player of the Year. Earned scholar-athlete status each of her first three seasons in high school. In club play, she was the team captain and led her team to a second place JVA Tournament finish and a third-place SLC Triple Crown Tournament finish.
 
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