UTSA Hits the Road for C-USA Matchups with Charlotte, Marshall

Courtesy: UTSA Athletics

SAN ANTONIO — Sitting just shy of first place in the Conference USA standings, UTSA volleyball will hit the road for a crucial pair of matches, traveling to face Charlotte on Friday at 5 p.m. CT and Marshall on Sunday at 11 a.m. CT.

UTSA (14-5, 6-1 Conference USA) sits just a game shy of 7-0 Rice in the league table, after earning wins over one-loss foes FAU (5-2) and FIU (5-2) last weekend to advance in the title hunt. The Roadrunners have won four consecutive matches and sport a 7-1 record over their last eight outings. UTSA has a No. 68 NCAA RPI, ranking third-best in C-USA, seventh-best in Texas and ahead of 21 power five-schools.

The Roadrunners have averaged 14 kills, 13.2 assists, 1.5 aces, 15.5 digs and 1.7 blocks per set as a team in 2018. UTSA has been paced offensively by a pair of dynamic freshmen who rank first and second in kills per set among league frosh. Hannah Lopez has averaged 3.17 kills and 2.04 digs per set and was named C-USA Freshman of the Week on Monday. Kirby Smith, who was named C-USA Freshman of the Week on opening weekend, has 3.21 kills and 3.23 digs per set. Juniors Brianna McCulloch and Kara Teal help power the offense, with McCulloch averaging 2.86 kills per set and Teal sporting 2.32 kills per set, hitting .339.

Sophomore Hannah Froeschl, who was named C-USA Offensive Player of the Week on Monday, has averaged 2.30 kills per set with a .296 hitting percentage. Senior Amanda Gonzales, the C-USA Setter of the Week, averaging 8.30 assists and 2.09 digs per set. Senior Shelby Williams leads the team with 4.14 digs per set.

Charlotte (13-10, 3-4 C-USA) sports team averages of 12.2 kills, 11.4 assists, 1.1 aces, 15.9 digs and 2.5 blocks per set.

Marshall (10-12, 3-5 C-USA) is averaging 12.6 kills, 11.7 assists, 1.2 aces, 16.1 digs and 1.5 blocks per set as a team in 2018.

UTSA leads the all-time series with Charlotte, 6-1, including a 4-0 mark on the road. The Roadrunners also lead the series with Marshall, 4-2, posting a 2-1 mark in games played in Huntington.