BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) volleyball team saw its five-match winning streak come to an end with 1-3 (23-25, 25-15, 22-25, 22-25) loss to CSU Bakersfield on Saturday at the Icardo Center.
 
Senior Alisha Watson led UTRGV (12-6, 3-1 WAC) with 11 kills on .318 hitting with five digs and three blocks. Sophomore Ragni Steen Knudsen posted her 13^th double-double with 11 kills and 11 digs. Junior Bojana Mitrovic recorded nine kills with 13 digs and five blocks. Sophomore Alexandra Ecker posted a match-high nine blocks. Freshman Barbara Silva finished with seven block assists to tie the freshman NCAA Division I program held by Deanna Schneyer (2005) with 80 this season. Silva now has 85 total blocks this seasons, the fourth-highest freshman total in NCAA Division I program history and just nine shy of tying the record held by Michelle Solsberry (94, 1988).
 
Sydney Haynes led CSU Bakersfield (5-11, 1-2 WAC) with 15 kills on .271 hitting. Carol Grasso recorded 15 kills with 12 digs. Marina Sanches finished with 10 kills and four blocks.
 
UTRGV led for much of the first set, breaking a 4-4 tie with a Silva kill that began an 8-2 run to make it 12-6. UTRGV still led by six at 14-8 on a Watson kill, and five at 17-12 on a Knudsen kill. CSU Bakersfield, however, used a pair of Haynes kills to power a 13-6 run to end the set. Haynes' second kill tied the set at 23 before CSU Bakersfield scored the next two points to win it.
 
UTRGV got off to a strong start in the second set as well, scoring the first three points while building a 15-6 lead thanks in part to a trio of Watson kills. CSU Bakersfield scored eight of the next 12 points to pull within 14-19, but after a timeout, a kill by sophomore Dubravka Vukoja and a pair of Silva aces helped UTRGV go on a 6-1 run end the set.
 
CSU Bakersfield jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the third set. CSU Bakersfield extended its lead to 14-7 and then 16-8 on a Haynes kill. Then, with UTRGV down 12-19, Mitrovic came up with a kill and an ace to kick off a 10-5 run to make it 22-24, but a Haynes kill ended the set.
 
The fourth set was tied at 5 early, but a Haynes kill sparked a 6-1 run to put CSU Bakersfield up 11-6. UTRGV scored five of the next six points to pull within 11-12 on a block by Watson and Ecker. UTRGV took the lead at 15-14 on a block by Silva and Vukoja, but CSU Bakersfield went on a 5-1 run to take a 19-16 lead. Then, with UTRGV down 19-21, kills by Ecker and Watson helped UTRGV pull even, but a Sanches kill and two Grasso kills helped CSU Bakersfield score four of the final five points.
 
UTRGV visits defending WAC Champion and first place New Mexico State on Saturday at 1 p.m.

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