Box Score

Photo Gallery

EDINBURG – The University of Texas-Pan American Broncs volleyball team completed the season sweep of the Chicago State University Cougars with a 3-1 victory on Thursday at the UTPA Fieldhouse.
 
It was the Broncs' (13-17, 2-11 WAC) second win in a row.
 
The Broncs won the opening set 25-14 and the second set 26-24. The Cougars (2-26, 0-13 WAC) took the third set 25-23, but the Broncs won the fourth set 25-22.
 
Redshirt junior Maria Kliefoth led the Broncs with 15 kills on .583 hitting. Sophomore Haley Durham had 14 kills on .458 hitting. Freshman Alisha Watson notched her third double-double with 10 kills, 11 digs and three service aces. As a team, the Broncs recorded nine aces, including three by junior Angelica Vargas, and one each by senior Nycole Masaki, who also had a match-high 46 assists, sophomore San Benito alum Kasey Sanchez, and redshirt sophomore Macey Singleton. Junior Krysta Freitas led the Broncs with 15 digs.
 
Paula Sioto led the Cougars with a match-high 21 kills, equal to the total number of kills of all of her teammates combined. MacKenzie Lotter had 37 assists. Julia Menhart posted 17 digs.
 
The Broncs jumped out to a 12-4 lead in the first set, thanks in-part to two kills and one ace by Sanchez. The Cougars got as close as 13-8, but the Broncs went on a 7-2 run, capped by a Sanchez kill, to pull away and go up 1-0.
 
The Broncs took the lead early in the second set as well, going up 8-3 on an Watson ace. The Cougars got within 12-9 on back-to-back kills by Sioto, but the Broncs pushed their lead back out to 17-10. The Broncs went up 20-14 on a kill by Masaki, and that's when the Cougars went on a 6-0 run to tie the set. After Broncs points, kills by Sioto tied the set at 21-21 and 22-22. The Cougars had set point at 24-23 after a Madeleine Radtke kill, but after a Broncs timeout, Watson came up with a kill, Mia Townsell made an attack error and then Watson served up an ace to make it 2-0 Broncs.
 
The Broncs led 5-1 early in the third set on a pair of kills by Kliefoth. The Cougars pulled to within 8-7 on a Sanchez service error, but the Broncs pushed their lead back out to five at 17-12 after a bad set by Lotter. The Cougars responded with a 6-1 run to tie the set on an ace by Valeria Desiderio. They took their first lead at 23-22 on a Mysta Townsell ace. The Cougars got to set point after an error, but a kill by Kliefoth brought the Broncs back within one. Sioto responded with a kill to end the set and make it 2-1.
 
The fourth set was tight throughout, with both teams trading leads until near the end. Down 16-15, a block by Watson and Kliefoth tied the set, and then a kill by Watson gave the Broncs the lead for good.
 
The Broncs complete this three-match home stand on Saturday at 2 p.m. when they host Kansas City at the UTPA Fieldhouse. Admission is complimentary. Doors open at 1.

Support UTPA Volleyball | Become a Fan on Facebook | Follow the Broncs on Twitter | Follow the Broncs on Instagram | Follow the Broncs on YouTube