The dawn of a volleyball season often comes with a sense of renewal. There is promise of change or improvement that could come in different forms.

For UTSA sophomore outside hitter Caroline Krueger, the alteration started with switching jersey numbers in hopes of finding inspiration. For sophomore middle blocker Katelyn Krienke, it was being unabashed in celebrating on-court success, because that is when she plays at her best.

By the time the UTSA Invitational concluded on Saturday at the Convocation Center, a more relevant transformation had been discovered — one that perhaps gave a glimpse into what might be in store this season for the Roadrunners.

Paced throughout by balanced and efficient attacking, tough serving and solid defense, UTSA swept Texas Southern 25-19, 25-14, 25-15 and Missouri State 25-21, 25-12, 25-19 on Friday and defeated Texas A&M-Commerce 25-19, 25-23, 18-25, 25-11 on Saturday.

The Roadrunners are 3-0 for the first time since 2018.

“It’s a great opening weekend,” UTSA coach Carol Price-Torok said in a post-match interview with the school’s athletic communications department. “Obviously, wins are wins and right now we’re trying to stay organized and stay together.”

Despite almost half the roster being made of newcomers, the Roadrunners had little trouble finding a rhythm this weekend in their three contests. They had a .276 attacking percentage, 29 aces, 141 digs and 18 blocks.

Mia Soerensen, a 6-foot-4 outside hitter who transferred from Kent State in the spring, had 34 kills and a .368 hitting percentage to lead the way. Junior outside hitter Faye Wilbricht, who attended Holy Cross and transferred from Texas A&M, added 29 kills and a .260 hitting clip. Krienke tallied 25 kills and hit .345, and Krueger contributed 11 kills. Freshman setter Makenna Wiepert had 110 assists, 24 digs and 12 aces and 10 kills, while libero Aliah Giroux, a Cornerstone alum who transferred from Southern Mississippi, had a team-best 45 digs.

For Krueger, perhaps the most integral number was switching her jersey from No. 5 to No. 14, a nod to a club teammate.

“I wanted to go into this year with a good vibe,” Krueger said. “It seems to be working. This year, I just feel like it’s such an easy transition compared to freshman year. I didn’t realize when I was going through freshman year about how challenging it was. I feel much more confident in my skin now.”

The same might be said for the entire team. The Roadrunners didn’t trail vs. Texas Southern until it was 3-2 in the third set, and only trailed Missouri State 2-0 in the opening frame before riding a surge to take control for good.

“It was great to start off this way,” Wiepert said after the Texas Southern win, UTSA’s first season-opening triumph since the 2020-21 COVID-19 campaign. “It was so much fun.”

While UTSA notched a perfect start at home, Incarnate Word achieved the same on the road in Coach Gabby Ording’s debut at the school.

The Cardinals finished 3-0 at the Texan Invitational in Stephenville in dramatic fashion, the first time they’ve opened a season with three straight wins since 2009.

Incarnate Word closed out the two-day tournament with a 19-25, 25-15, 25-16, 23-25, 22-20 win over host Tarleton State. The Cardinals dug out of a 14-9 deficit in the final set, erasing five straight match points and seven overall.

Allison Palmi had a team-best 16 kills. Kyla Malone, a New Braunfels Canyon graduate, tallied 14 kills, 11 digs and 2 1/2 blocks. Finley Evans, Annamarie Alvarez and Risa Sena each had nine kills apiece. Setter Anuhea Faitau contributed 33 assists and three aces and libero Audrey Patton chipped in 21 digs.

Incarnate Word opened the season by sweeping Arkansas-Pine Bluff (25-18, 25-19, 25-13) and Prairie View A&M (25-22, 25-21, 25-21).

terrence@terrencesports.com
Twitter: @sa_terrence1