SAN ANTONIO – The UTSA volleyball team is set to welcome Texas State into the Convocation Center on Wednesday, with a 6 p.m. first serve kick-starting the I-35 Showdown. As a part of the festivities, the ‘Runners will Orange Out the arena, with the first 100 students receiving a free T-shirt, while a rally towel will be given away to all fans while supplies last.
The Roadrunners (1-2, 0-0 The American) are coming off the Quest for the Crown tournament that saw them fall to William & Mary (26-24, 25-21, 25-27, 25-21) and host-school Old Dominion (25-20, 25-20, 25-23) before besting Marist (25-18, 25-15, 25-12).
Senior Aliah Giroux delivered a stellar performance, as she was named to the All-Tournament team, thanks to 46 digs over 10 sets. She led each match and charted double-digit digs in all three contests, posting 19, 13 and 10. Sophomore Kai Bailey was also phenomenal defensively, boasting 1.75 blocks per set. She first blocked four of the opposition’s attacks against the Tribe before swatting five against both the Monarchs and Red Foxes. She also was incredibly efficient on the attack, smashing 13 kills at a .722 clip. Junior Mia Soerensen powered the Roadrunner offense, smashing 27 kills at a .322 clip and working 11 blocks of her own for a team-high 33 points.
In a weekend that saw six UTSA debuts, newcomers Caroline Tredwell and Morgen Durgens impressed, as Tredwell recorded 18 kills and 10 blocks, while Durgens averaged 5.33 assists per set, operating out of a 6-2.
The Bobcats (2-1, 0-0 Sun Belt), meanwhile, went 2-1 at the Rice tournament, first beating Houston Christian (25-19, 22-25, 22-25, 25-17, 15-12) and Texas Southern (25-15, 25-19, 18-25, 25-13) ahead of a defeat at the hands of Rice (25-14, 25-14, 25-22).
TXST saw a wealth of offensive output by Samantha Wunsch, who logged 34 kills, with MJ McCurdy not far behind with 33 terminations. Bailey Hanner launched 27 successful attacks at a .322 clip, and Maggie Walsh totaled 21 kills and 21 digs. Ryann Torres dished out 94 assists to lead the way, while Alyssa Ortega scooped 37 digs. Jade Defraeye topped the team with seven blocks, and Wunsch also performed well defensively, swatting six of the opposition’s attacks.
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