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EDINBURG – Redshirt senior Maria Kliefoth recorded a career-high 10 blocks, tied for the fourth most in a single-match in program history, but the University of Texas-Pan American Broncs volleyball team fell to the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders 3-1 to open the UTPA Tournament on Thursday at the UTPA Fieldhouse.
 
The Broncs (0-4) dropped the first set 21-25 before coming back to take the second set 25-20. The Islanders (3-1) took each of the remaining two sets 25-22.
 
Kliefoth had a match-high three solo blocks and seven block assists while recording eight kills and a .333 hitting percentage. Senior Diara Reynolds led the Broncs with 13 kills and four blocks while sophomore Anjané Janda posted 11 kills and three blocks. Redshirt junior Macey Singleton recorded a career-high 18 digs, just one off the pace set by senior Nausheen Merchant, who had 19. Freshman Mary Kate Clark came up with a match-high 31 assists while junior Maisy Munson had 13.
 
Ivy Baresh led the Islanders with 18 kills and 16 digs. Ashley Phelps also had 18 kills. Hailey King recorded a match-high 21 digs.
 
The Islanders led 9-1 out of the gate thanks in-part to three kills by Brianna Brink. The Broncs responded with a 19-9 run to pull within two on an attack error by Brink. The Broncs were again within two at 19-21 and 20-22 on kills by Reynolds, but that's as close as they got.
 
Singleton opened the second set with an ace as the Broncs jumped out to a 3-0 lead. The Islanders tied the set on four occasions, the last of which came at 12-12 before a kill by sophomore Alisha Watson gave the Broncs the lead for good. The Islanders pulled within 21-20 late, but after a service error, a Kliefoth block and kills by Reynolds and Clark tied the match at 1-1.
 
The third set featured the first four lead changes of the match as well as six ties. The Broncs led as late as 14-13 after an attack error by Phelps, but Phelps responded with a kill and then Kristyn Nicholson and Baresh followed suit as the Islanders took the lead for good.
 
The action got even tighter in the fourth set, with a match-high nine ties as well as two lead changes. The Broncs led for much of the early going, growing their lead as large as 12-6 before the Islanders came back to tie the set at 18-18. The Broncs took the lead back on a kill by Janda and then went up two on a block by Kliefoth and Watson. After the Islanders scored the next two, Watson came up with a kill to give the Broncs a 21-20 lead. After a service error, a Kliefoth kill put the Broncs up 22-21, but the Islanders scored the final four points to end the match.
 
The Broncs continue the tournament on Friday at 12 p.m. against Lamar and then at 7 against Texas Tech. Other matches during the day include the Islanders facing Northern Arizona at 10 a.m. and Texas Tech at 2:30 p.m., and Lamar taking on Northern Arizona at 4:30.

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