Box Score

Photo Gallery

EDINBURG – The University of Texas-Pan American Broncs volleyball team opened conference play with a 3-1 (17-25, 25-21, 23-25, 18-25) loss to the Bakersfield Roadrunners on Thursday at the UTPA Fieldhouse.
 
Junior Haley Durham led the Broncs (2-12, 0-1 WAC) with 15 kills and four blocks. Sophomore Alisha Watson added 14 kills with eight digs and a match-high five aces. Sophomore Anjane Janda chipped in 12 kills while senior Nausheen Merchant paced the defense with 15 digs.
 
Danika Youngblood led the Roadrunners (5-9, 1-0 WAC) with 17 kills while also adding nine digs. Molly O'Hagan added 14 kills while Mariah Alvidrez recorded a match-high 23 digs.
 
The first set went back and forth as there were five ties and three lead changes. With the match tied at seven, a Broncs' attack error started an 8-3 run for the Roadrunners that was highlighted with a kill by Sydney Haynes that made it 15-10 in favor of Bakersfield. The Broncs got with in four after a Kyra Hill kill that made it 14-18 but the Broncs fell 17-25.
 
The Broncs jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the second set after Watson notched back-to-back aces. The Roadrunners took the 5-4 lead after a couple of Broncs' errors but the Broncs battled back to regain the lead at 11-10 after a kill by Durham. An ace by Mary Kate Clark later in the match pushed the Broncs lead to 18-15 before they closed out the second set with a 25-21 victory.
 
In the third set, Bakersfield jumped out to the 6-2 lead after an attack error by the Broncs. A kill by Watson got the Broncs within one at 7-8. A pair of attack errors by Janda pushed the Roadrunners' lead to 17-12. The Broncs cut the lead to 20-21 with a kill by Durham but dropped the third set 23-25.
 
The Roadrunners took control early in the fourth set as they jumped out to a 5-1 lead after an attack error by Watson. The Broncs got within five after a Watson kill but Bakersfield took the final set 25-18 and the match.
 
The Broncs close out their two-match home stand on Saturday against Grand Canyon at 12 p.m. at the UTPA Fieldhouse.

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