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Box Score

LAKE CHARLES, Louisiana – Senior Nycole Masaki tied her career-high with 56 assists to lead the University of Texas-Pan American Broncs volleyball team to their first ever win over McNeese State, a 3-2 victory on Saturday at the Big Daddy's Invitational.
 
The Broncs (9-3) have now won four straight matches including seven of their last eight.
 
After dropping the first set 24-26, the Broncs bounced back in the second set. Diara Reynolds gave UTPA the 3-0 lead after a kill and then a kill by Alisah Watson pushed their lead to 10-5. The Broncs went on a 7-1 run to added to their lead before taking the second set 25-17.
 
The Broncs jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the third set after a kill by Anjane Janda but McNeese State took the lead at 7-6 after an attack error. Janda tied the set at seven with another kill and then the Broncs took the 13-10 lead with a kill by Reynolds. The third set had seven ties and six lead changes as UTPA won the set 26-24.
 
McNeese State (5-6) tied the match after taking the fourth set 26-24 but the Broncs responded in the fifth and decisive set. UTPA jumped out to the early lead after a kill by Haley Durham making it 3-1. After McNeese State tied the set, Malina Sanchez gave them the 5-4 lead with a kill. The Broncs took the lead for good after Watson recorded back-to-back-to-back kills giving them the 8-6 lead. UTPA took the set 15-13 and the match.
 
Haley Durham led the Broncs with 14 and added a team-high seven blocks. The Broncs had four others in double-digit kills as Alisha Watson recorded 13 kills, Anjane Janda added 12 kills, and Maria Kliefoth and Diara Reynolds each added 11 kills. Krysta Freitas paced the defense with 19 digs while Shanice Faison added 11 digs of her own.
 
Malina Sanchez recorded a match-high 20 kills for McNeese State while Vanessa Bentley paced the offense with 58 assists. Kimberly Patterson recorded 21 digs defensively.   
 
The Broncs are back in action at 4:30 p.m. when they face Southern Mississippi (6-2) to close out the Big Daddy's Invitational at Memorial Gym.