SAN ANTONIO – Since being named UTSA’s head volleyball coach on December 18, 2021, Carol Price-Torok has worked to bring together her program with the San Antonio community. The result has been numerous attendance records and building strong relationships within the 2-1-0.
A crowd of 1,430 fans were on hand at the Convocation Center on Sunday for the team’s match against Rice, including a number of UTSA Volleyball alumni celebrating Homecoming weekend. It was the most-attended home match in Torok’s tenure.
“I think we’re playing an exciting brand of volleyball,” Torok said. “They’re coming out to watch the product we’re putting on the court. It’s fun, it’s fast-paced, we had some big blocks and big swings and did a great job from the service line. I just hope we’re representing ourselves well and it’s what people want to see. I love what we’re doing, and we just have to continue to chip away at what we’re doing and put one foot in front of the other.”
One of the players making an important impact on the back line is herself a local product. Freshman libero Giada Obregon hails from Floresville, Texas, in the Greater San Antonio area.
“It was super nice seeing everybody out there,” Obregon said. “They’re watching just the beginning. We’re going to keep growing.”
The team’s progress has been parallel with Obregon’s own. Having played in 61 of the Roadrunners’ sets this season, Obregon tops her team in digs per set at 3.02. She’s also served 14 aces this year and is finding her way into a leadership role.
“We just see her confidence grow,” Torok said. “She’s a player that we can really challenge and be tough on. We’re hearing her voice more; we’re hearing her leadership more from behind. We want to play from behind to the front of the net. It starts with her. I think she’s getting comfortable in this role and what she can do. She has really done a great job on the serve-receive side of things as well.”
Bringing top area talent into the UTSA program has been an important priority for Torok.
“We want local products to stay local,” she said. “She’s from here in San Antonio. Her family is a family of coaches. She just has a really great coaching eye.”
Obregon was a standout at Floresville High School, where she was a TGCA All-Star in 2023, earned First-Team All-District honors and excelled with a 4.0 grade-point average in the classroom. It was an easy decision for her to choose the hometown team to continue her career.
“The girls are super close, and they love each other,” Obregon said. “They are all fighting for the same thing – that is to win. That’s what I want. And I love how the coaching staff had a lot of trust in me.”
Obregon is one of the student-athletes who embodies what Torok wants her team to stand for and, collectively, they’re making major strides to take the Roadrunners program to the next level.
“G is fun, she’s exciting and she represents who we want to be here in San Antonio,” Torok said. “Having a hometown kid on this stage, doing what she’s doing, is pretty special.”