PHOENIX, Ariz. – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) volleyball team won its fifth-straight match, 3-1 (25-19, 25-17, 24-26, 25-12) over Grand Canyon University (GCU) on Thursday at Antelope Gym.
 
This is the first time UTRGV (12-5, 3-0 WAC) has won five-straight matches since Sept. 21-29, 2012.
 
UTRGV is now 3-0 in conference play for the first time in program and history and on a three-match conference winning streak for the first time since Oct. 13-20, 1995, as members of the Sun Belt Conference.
 
The only time UTRGV is known to have gotten off to a better start than 12-5 is 1973, when it was 15-2 while competing in the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW).
 
Junior Bojana Mitrovic led UTRGV with 14 kills on .353 hitting, 12 digs and four blocks for her fifth double-double of the season. Sophomore Ragni Steen Knudsen recorded 12 kills in .281 hitting with nine digs. Senior Alisha Watson finished with 11 kills on .304 hitting. Sophomore Alexandra Ecker recorded 10 kills on .273 hitting with three blocks. Freshman Barbara Silva had 10 kills on .444 hitting. She also had six blocks to up her block assists total to 73, the second highest total by a freshman in program history. Silva needs seven more block assists to tie Deanna Schneyer (80, 2005) for the record. Senior Fatoumata Dacosta posted a match-high 19 digs while junior Tina Sekulic dished out a match-high 34 assists.
 
Jordyn Sanchez led GCU (4-10, 0-2 WAC) with 12 kills and seven digs. Katrice Pond finished with 10 kills on .692 hitting and eight digs.
 
GCU led 3-1 at the start of the first set, but UTRGV didn't allow GCU to score consecutive points again until the end of a 20-8 run that made it 21-11. GCU used a 7-2 run to pull within five, but two serves later, a Watson kill ended the set.
 
GCU led 7-2 at the start of the second set, but three Mitrovic kills, one Silva kill and one Knudsen kill allowed UTRGV to pull even. Then, with UTRGV down 8-9, Mitrovic came up with a kill to start a 5-0 run before ending it with an ace to make it 13-9. GCU scored five of the next seven points to go up 15-14, but a Watson kill sparked a 9-2 run to allow UTRGV to pull away for a 2-0 lead.
 
A pair of Mitrovic kills allowed UTRGV to jump out to a 7-2 lead in the third set before GCU went on a 6-2 run to pull within one. Kills by Silva, Ecker and Knudsen helped UTRGV to push its lead to 13-8, but a pair of Sanchez kills helped GCU go on a 6-2 run to tie the set at 14. An Ecker kill puts UTRGV on top again, and UTRGV extended its lead to 18-16 after a Watson kill. GCU scored four-straight points to take the lead, but after a time out, a Mitrovic kill and a block by Silva and Knudsen tied the set. UTRGV then took the lead on an attack error and reached match point on an Ecker kill before GCU scored three in a row to take the set.
 
A pair of Knudsen aces helped UTRGV jump out to a 6-2 lead in the fourth set. Then, After GCU pulled within 5-7 on a Michelle Steagall ace, a Silva kill kicked off an 8-2 run to put UTRGV up 15-7. Five serves later, another Silva kill started an 8-2 run to end the match.
 
UTRGV goes for its sixth-straight win for the first time since winning seven-straight from Sept. 12-26, 2003, and its fourth-straight conference win for the first time in program history, on Saturday at 3 p.m. when it visits CSU Bakersfield.

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