UTSA volleyball has six more games before the American Athletic Conference championship in November. Ranked at No.12 in the AAC with a conference record of 2-8, the Roadrunners have a small chance of making it to the championship. This week they will play Tulane University on Friday and Rice University on Sunday.
History
UTSA volleyball has faced Tulane seven times in the past. Their most recent game was on Oct. 9, the ‘Runners losing the game 3-0. The Green Wave took the lead in kills with a hitting percentage of .328 and a total of nine blocks during the game, while UTSA struggled with a hitting percentage of .195 and a total of three blocks.
The Roadrunners have played Rice 30 times. Their last game was Sept. 29, the Owls took the game 3-0. UTSA had a hitting percentage of .095 with 16 attack errors. Rice led all three sets with a hitting percentage of .279.
UTSA
UTSA had a tough conference run, and went on a six-game losing streak. The ‘Runners have a low hitting percentage overall at .196, although their defense has been strong in the last couple games. The Roadrunners have an average of 2.28 blocks, placing them first in the AAC. UTSA’s upset win against University of South Florida was a hard-fought five set match; the Roadrunners set the school record for blocks in a single game with 23. Some key players for UTSA are sophomore middle hitter Kai Bailey, who is fifth in hitting percentage with .337 and seventh in blocks with an average of 1.05 during games in the AAC. Redshirt senior middle blocker Alicia Coppedge, who broke the school record for individual blocks in a game with 13 against South Florida, sits at fourth in blocks with an average of 1.13 and a total of 51 in the AAC. Junior opposite hitter Mia Soerensen is ninth in blocking with an average of .95 and a total of 80 in the AAC.
UTSA this season has been plagued by attack and service errors, it also has an issue of letting the opponents go on long scoring runs. In the past, the Roadrunners have had the upper had against Tulane. UTSA is winless on the road this season, posing a new challenge against a familiar opponent. The ‘Runners have struggled against Rice, even with this being a home game it will still be a tough match. Coach Carol Price-Torok says her team has focused on their mental and not letting the tough games get to them.
Tulane
Tulane is seventh in the AAC with a record of 5-5. The Green Wave is currently 13-8 and has a better record playing at home, 8-3. Tulane has a hitting percentage of .221 with an average of 2.16 blocks per game. Tulane this season has had a strong offense. In their first matchup this season, The Green Wave stayed on top of the Roadrunners, closing a six-point gap and taking a set back. Key players for the Green Wave are middle blocker Sabrina Skyers, who is third .343 in hitting percentage and eighth in blocks with an average of .97. Middle blocker Jordan White is No.10 in the AAC for hitting percentage with .291, accompanied by outside hitter Sami Jacobs who is eighth overall with 304.5 points.
Rice
Rice is first in the AAC with a (13-6, 8-2 AAC) record, and it is above .500 for away games. The Owls have a hitting percentage of .226 and an average of 1.97 blocks. The Owls went on a six-game win streak to open conference play. Key players for Rice are middle blocker Lademi Ogunlana, first in hitting percentage with .386 and 10th in blocks with an average of .95. Cindy Tchouangwa, sixth in kills with an average 3.36 a set, she is also seventh overall in the conference with 215.5 points.
Predictions
Both games will be tough for UTSA, especially with an away game on Friday, having lost to both teams previously this season.
Paisano Pick: Tulane 3-1 UTSA, Rice 3-0 UTSA
