Box Score

CHICAGO, Ill. – The University of Texas-Pan American Broncs volleyball team picked up the first Western Athletic Conference victory in program history, 3-2 over the Chicago State University Cougars on Saturday at the Jacoby Dickens Center.
 
The Cougars (2-18, 0-6 WAC) won the first set 26-24, but the Broncs (11-11, 1-5 WAC) responded with a 26-24 victory of their own in the second set. The Broncs then won the third set 25-17, but the Cougars took the fourth set 25-19. The Broncs won the decisive fifth set 15-12.
 
With 11 wins, the Bronc now have their winningest season since 2007, when they finished 15-18. The Broncs have a minimum of 11 matches remaining.
 
Redshirt junior Maria Kliefoth was one of four Broncs who reached double-figures in kills with a team-high 15 on .387 hitting to go with a match-high tying five blocks. Sophomore Haley Durham with 13 kills and a .423 hitting percentage while also coming up with five blocks. Freshman Alisha Watson recorded her second-straight double-double with 13 kills, 13 digs and four blocks. Junior Krysta Freitas finished with 11 kills, 12 digs and four blocks. Senior Nycole Masaki recorded a double-double as well, with a match-high 54 assists and 10 digs.
 
Paula Sioto led the Cougars with a match-high 26 kills. Mackenzie Lotter had a team-high 50 assists. Julia Menhart and Valeria Desiderio each recorded a team-high 20 digs. Chinwendu Ngwadom posted a team-high five blocks.
 
The Broncs trailed for the majority of the first set, going down as many as five at 10-5 on a kill by Sioto. The Broncs scored five of the next six to pull within one on an attack error by Sioto. The Cougars pushed their lead out to four on a Sioto kill that made it 15-11, but the Broncs came back within one again by scoring the next three. The Cougars went up by four again at 21-17, which is when the Broncs went on a 6-2 run to take a 23-22 lead. The Broncs had set point at 24-23 after a Kliefoth kill, but after two attack errors, Ngwadom came up with a kill to put the Cougars up 1-0.
 
The Broncs led 2-0 at the start of the second set after a kill by Watson and an attack error by Ngwadom, but Sioto bookended a 5-0 run with kills to give the Cougars the lead. The Cougars again led 21-17, and this time the Broncs went on a 7-1 run to get set point after an attack error by Sioto. Rachel Levitt followed with a kill and then an attack error tied it up. Kliefoth responded with a kill and the Broncs tied the match on an attack error by Desiderio.
 
The Broncs led nearly wire-to-wire for most of the third set. Down 3-2, kills by Kliefoth and Durham sparked a 4-0 run to give the Broncs the lead for good. After the Broncs reached double-figures, they never led by fewer than four points.
 
The Broncs led early in the fourth set, going up 4-2 on two kills by Durham and a kill and an ace by Kliefoth. After the Cougars scored the next three points, a Durham kill tied the set at 5-5. A Desiderio kill sparked a 7-2 run, and the Broncs never got closer than two for the rest of the set.
 
The Broncs and Cougars traded points early in the final set, with the Broncs going up 5-4 on a kill by San Benito alum and sophomore Kasey Sanchez. The Cougars scored the next three points, but after a timeout, the Broncs scored four-straight thanks in-part to kills by Durham and Watson to make it 9-7. After a Ngwadom kill, a kill by Durham and three by Kliefoth helped the Broncs put the match away.
 
The Broncs are back in action on Thursday at 8 p.m. when they visit Utah Valley.

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