Box Score

NEWARK, New Jersey – The University of Texas-Pan American Broncs volleyball team won their fifth straight match by taking their Great West Conference opener from the New Jersey Institute of Technology Highlanders, 3-1, on Saturday at Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center.
 
The Broncs (8-10, 1-0 GWC) are on their longest winning streak since winning five straight October 25 through November 10, 2003, and have surpassed last year's win total of seven with at least 11 matches remaining.
 
The Highlanders (6-11, 0-2 GWC) got off to a good start. Leading 11-9 in the first set, they used an 8-0 run to pull away from the Broncs, going up by as many as 11 at 23-12. The Broncs scored the next four points, and although they lost the set 25-17, it was a sign of things to come.
 
Up 13-12 in the second set, the Broncs went on a 9-2 run to go a head 22-14 before winning 25-18. The Broncs never trailed in the third set, jumping out to leads of 5-1 and 8-2 before winning 25-16.
 
In the fourth set, the Highlanders took an early 6-1 lead, but after a timeout, the Broncs turned the tables with a 13-7 run to take a 14-13 lead. The set stayed tight from there. Trailing 23-22, a kill by Michelle McNamee and a block by Sarah Davis gave the Broncs their first chance at match point. Cathy Leung and Valerie Carroll teamed up for a block to keep the set going, but a Renata Pandolfo service error gave the Broncs their second opportunity. Danica Vukotic came up with a kill to tie the set at 25-25, but a kill by Maria Kliefoth and a block by Kliefoth and Krysta Freitas gave the Broncs the 27-25 victory.
 
Davis continued her strong play by recording 12 kills and just one error in 19 attacks. Over her last two matches, Davis has 24 kills and three errors in 37 attacks for a .568 hitting percentage.
 
Diara Reynolds led the Broncs with 13 kills while McNamee finished with 10. Kliefoth tied her career-high with six blocks while Juri Franzen tied her season-high with a match-high three aces to go with 20 digs.
 
The Broncs go for their sixth straight victory for the first time since winning seven in a row September 12-26, 2003, when they return to the UTPA Fieldhouse to host defending Great West Conference regular season champion and pre-season favorite Utah Valley on Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
 
The University of Texas-Pan American Department of Intercollegiate Athletics competes at the NCAA Division I level. UTPA, formerly known as Pan American College and Pan American University, is a part of the University of Texas System of Schools. The Broncs compete in 14 varsity sports: men's and women's basketball, golf, tennis, track and field, and cross country, along with women's volleyball and men's baseball. The Broncs have won six team national championships, including the 1963 NAIA Championship in men's basketball and every NAIA Championship in men's tennis from 1961 through 1965. The Broncs also have also won 10 individual national championships, all in men's tennis, with six NAIA doubles championships and four NAIA singles championships. UTPA has been a member of the Great West Conference in 12 sports since 2009-10. Men's golf competes in the America Sky Conference while men's tennis competes in the Southland Conference.