SAN ANTONIO – The UTSA volleyball team is set to face off against Rice in American Athletic Conference action on Sunday in Houston, Texas, with a 1 p.m. first serve on the docket in the Tudor Fieldhouse.
The Roadrunners (6-8, 0-1 The American) will battle the Owls (6-4, 1-0 The American) after falling to North Texas (22-25, 25-22, 25-25, 26-24) in the league opener.
Freshman Ally Tribe led the 'Runners, posting 10 kills, while sophomore Annika Sokol recorded a match-high 30 assists with nine digs. Senior Alicia Coppedge aided the defense, boasting six blocks, and junior Mia Soerensen charted four. Senior Aliah Giroux scooped 13 of the opposition's attacks and sophomore Peyton Turner 12 in what represented her first double-digit performance of the season.
Rice worked a five-set victory over Tulane (26-24, 21-25, 28-26, 16-25, 15-12), picking up head coach Genny Volpe's 400th career win in the process.
The Owls have been dominant defensively, as 16.44 digs per set sit 37th in the NCAA. That figure is heavily aided by Nia McCardell, who paces the squad at 3.97 and 130 overall. Not far behind, Darby Harris has scooped 127 digs to help the defense, as Lademi Ogunlana and Kaitlyn Knobbe top the squad in blocks, working 25.0 and 24.0, respectively. Cindy Tchouangwa provides the bulk of the offensive to the tune of 124 kills, and Savannah Skopal has served as the squad's top setter with 341 assists. Additionally, nobody on the team has logged as many aces as Tchouangwa, who's issued eight.
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