After breaking an even .500 record this past season, UTSA volleyball decided that August was far too long to wait to get the taste of real competition.
“One of the unique things about spring is, yes we want to win, but giving those kids who maybe didn’t start last year or didn’t get a lot of reps, get live in-game experience,” head coach Carol Price-Torok said.
Announced on Jan. 22, the Roadrunners will be hitting the airwaves in May for their European Tour, traveling across the Atlantic for the first time since 2016. The 10-day European excursion will see the ‘Runners travel to Budapest, Maribor, Venice, Florence and Rome.
“Being able to experience all of the historical sites and history in Europe is pretty exciting,” Price-Torok said. “We have a lot of kids who haven’t traveled overseas or out of the country.”
In addition to the sightseeing and once-in-a-lifetime cultural experiences, UTSA is set to hold matches with professional clubs facing Serbian, Dinamo-Belgrade and Italian, Club Italia. UTSA will also play the Croatian and Slovakian junior national teams.
“I don’t think they are going to be scared when we go over to Europe,” Price-Torok said. “We are playing a spring slate that will get them prepared for that and be able to play physical high-level volleyball.”
Before jumping over to Europe, the ‘Runners have business to deal with stateside. Announced on Feb. 8, the UTSA women’s volleyball is slated to begin their 2024 Spring Schedule, facing the two-time national champions, the Texas Longhorns, on March 4 at the Convocation Center.
“It’s a great event for the city; they are a volleyball powerhouse,” Price-Torok said. “Playing against the best of the best is going to motivate them.”
Texas State comes back to the Convo for the first time since 2020. Eight days later, the ‘Runners will return to San Marcos for the Texas State tournament on March 30 – opponents are to be announced.
“We are very familiar with [Texas State]. We kinda felt like we gave one away [last] preseason,” Price-Torok said.
The ‘Runners finish their spring exhibition season facing the Baylor Bears on April 6 at the Ferrell Center in Waco.
“We are not here just to play in the spring and to play to win,” Price-Torok said. “We have to push ourselves and play people who are just as good or better than us, just to see where we want to be.”
Tickets for the match-up against the Texas Longhorns can be purchased now for $13, and a portion of the proceeds will fund the program’s European trip. You can purchase your tickets on the UTSA athletics website. The March 22 game against Texas State is free for students as well as members of the public. If you would like to contribute another way, the program also accepts donations of any amount.
