Box Score

RUSTON, La. – Despite a season-high three Broncs reaching double-figures in kills, the University of Texas-Pan American Broncs volleyball team fell to the Louisiana Technical University Techsters 3-1 to open up the LA Tech Invitational on Friday at Thomas Assembly Center.
 
The Broncs (1-7) dropped the first set 29-31 and the second set 24-26. The Broncs won the third set 25-23 before falling 19-25 in the fourth set.
 
Redshirt senior Maria Kliefoth led the Broncs with 14 kills on .433 hitting to go with four blocks. Freshman Alisha Watson posted 13 kills with eight digs. Junior Haley Durham finished with 12 kills. Three Broncs reached double-figures in digs, led by senior Nausheen Merchant, who had 15. Senior Krysta Freitas had 13 while redshirt junior Macey Singleton finished with 11.
 
Rebecca Redgen led the Techsters (3-4) with 21 kills, eight digs and three blocks. Helena Gunnarsdottir recorded a double-double with 13 kills and 14 digs.
 
The first set was tight early, with the Broncs trailing 9-10, but the Broncs took the lead back on three-straight attack errors and then extended that lead all the way to 20-13 on another attack error. The Broncs got to set point at 24-19 after a kill by Durham and a pair of errors by the Techsters, but Adria Morales bookended a 5-0 run with kills as the Techsters tied it up at 24-24. The Broncs reached set point four more times, at 25-24, 26-25, 27-26 and 28-27, but with the set tied at 29-29 following a Durham kill, Gunnarsdottir and Redgen came up with kills to end the set.
 
The Broncs led 4-1 out of the gate in the second set on a kill by Kliefoth. The Broncs led by as many as five twice, last at 11-6 on a Durham kill. The Techsters took the lead for the first time at 21-20 on an attack error, but a block by Kliefoth and freshman Mary Kate Clark followed by a kill by Kliefoth put the Broncs back on top. The Techsters reached set point at 24-23, but Watson tied the score before an attack error and a block put the Techsters up 2-0.
 
The third set featured several lead changes early, but a pair of attack errors sandwiched an ace by Singleton as the Broncs took an 11-10 lead. The Broncs extended it into a 5-0 run on a Watson kill and an error to go up 13-10. The Techsters pulled within one at 17-18, but two kills by Kliefoth and one by Durham put the Broncs up 21-17. The Techsters got close at 23-24, but a Watson kill brought the Broncs within 2-1.
 
The Broncs led by as many as two early in the fourth set, going up 7-5 on an error and 8-6 on a Durham kill, but the Techsters responded with a 6-1 run to take the lead and they never trailed again. The Broncs got as close as 19-20 on a Kliefoth kill, but the Techsters scored the final five points to end the match.
 
The Broncs are back in action on Saturday at 12 when they face Stephen F. Austin, and again at 4:30 when the play New Orleans.

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