Box Score

EDINBURG – The University of Texas-Pan American Broncs volleyball team fell to the Texas Southern University Tigers 3-1 on Monday at H&PE Arena.
 
The Broncs (10-6) took the first set 25-22, but the Tigers (4-8) won the second set 26-24, the third set 25-22, and the fourth set 25-20.
 
Junior Krysta Freitas and freshman Alisha Watson led the Broncs with 11 kills each. Freitas also had 10 digs and a season-high three blocks for the double-double. Senior Nycole Masaki also recorded a double-double with 35 assists, 14 digs and a career-high six kills.
 
The Broncs finished with more kills (53-43), service aces (7-2) and team blocks (9-8) than the Tigers, but the Broncs also made more attack errors (37-21) and service errors (13-6).
 
Two Tigers reached double-figures in kills, led by Robyn Shannon who had 12. Mona Reed finished with 11 kills.
 
The Tigers had the early lead in the first set, going up as many as four at 13-9 on an attack error by redshirt junior Maria Kliefoth. The Broncs tied it for the first time at 14-14 on a bad set by Sarah Wooten, and took their first lead at 19-18 on a kill by Diara Reynolds. The only time the Broncs led by more than two was when Diara Reynolds recorded the set-winning block.
 
The Tigers jumped out to a big lead in the second set, going up 12-3. The Broncs responded with a 15-6 run to tie the match at 18-18 on an ace by freshman Anjané Janda. The Broncs took their first lead at 20-19 on a kill by Kliefoth, and had a chance at set point, but up 24-23, Kliefoth made back-to-back attack errors, and then after an attack error by Janda, Veroniza Azubuike came up with a kill to tie the match at 1-1.
 
The third set was tight throughout, featuring six lead changes and 15 ties. The Broncs led 22-21 after a Watson Kill, but an Azubuike kill tied the set. After two Broncs errors, Shannon came up with the set-winning kill to make it 2-1 Tigers.
 
The Broncs only led at the beginning of the fourth set, going up 1-0 on a Reynolds kill. The Tigers scored eight of the next 10 points, and although the Broncs later tied the set at 14-14, the Tigers closed the set on an 11-6 run to win the match.
 
The Broncs open a four-match home stand against the four teams picked to finish in the top four spots in the Western Athletic Conference, starting with defending champion New Mexico State, the preseason favorite, in the Broncs' first-ever WAC contest on Saturday at 2 p.m. at the UTPA Fieldhouse. Admission is complimentary. Doors open at 1 p.m.

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