NEW ORLEANS, La. – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros volleyball team closed out non-conference play with a 2-3 (25-27, 25-23, 20-25, 25-22, 7-15) loss to the University of New Orleans Privateers on Monday at the Human Performance Center.
 
Sophomore Bojana Mitrovic led the Vaqueros (8-14) with a career-high 25 kills on .268 hitting, six digs and four blocks. Junior Alisha Watson had 12 kills, eight digs and two blocks. Freshman Alexandra Ecker had nine kills on .500 hitting. Freshman Dubravka Vukoja dished out a career-high 49 assists.
 
Cara Sander led the Privateers (12-11) with 13 kills on .294 hitting with three aces and four blocks. Takierra Boughton had 11 kills and three blocks. Blessing Dunn had 10 kills and seven digs.
 
The Vaqueros and Privateers were tied at five in the opening set when a Watson ace sparked a 12-6 run to put the Vaqueros up 17-11. The Vaqueros still led by six at 22-16 on a Watson kill, but the Privateers responded with an 8-1 run to get to set point. The Vaqueros tied the set at 24 and 25 on Watson kills, but the Privateers closed out the set on a Sander kill and an attack error.
 
The Privateers continued their hot-hitting by jumping out to leads of 7-2 and 11-4 in the second set. Four Mitrovic kills, however, sparked a 9-1 run as the Vaqueros took a 13-12 lead. The Privateers scored 10 of the next 15 points to go up 22-18, but Mitrovic came up with six kills to power a 7-1 run to end the set.
 
The Privateers led 10-6 early in the third set before the Vaqueros came back to tie it at 14 on a block by Watson and Ecker. The Privateers pushed their lead to 23-17 on a Keke Irby block before a block by Mitrovic and senior Haley Durham and a pair of kills by Watson brought the Vaqueros with three. A Sander kill and a block by Boughton and Kaitlyn Grice, however, ended the set.
 
The Vaqueros were down 3-5 early in the fourth set, but responded with a 10-2 run to go up 13-7 on an Ecker kill. The Vaqueros pushed their lead to 18-10 on an error before the Privateers went on a 9-1 run to tie the set. The Vaqueros, however, took advantage of three errors, two Mitrovic kills and an Ecker kill to push back and take the set.
 
After Durham and Mitrovic opened the fifth set with a block, the Privateers scored seven of the next nine points to go up 7-3 on a Lauren Levy kill. Watson responded with a kill to bring the Vaqueros within three, but that's as close as they got.
 
The Vaqueros are back in action on Saturday at 12 p.m. when they host Western Athletic Conference-leading New Mexico State at the UTRGV Fieldhouse. Doors open at 11 a.m.

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