NEW ORLEANS, La. – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley volleyball team beat Bethune-Cookman University (BCU) 3-0 (25-8, 25-23, 25-14) in their final match of the Allstate Sugar Bowl Tournament on Saturday at Devlin Fieldhouse.
 
Sophomore Ragni Steen Knudsen led UTRGV (4-2) with 17 kills on .469 hitting, 12 digs and four blocks. Junior Bojana Mitrovic recorded 13 kills on .306 hitting and a career-high nine blocks. Seven of her blocks were block assists, tying for the ninth-best single-match total in program history. Sophomore Alexandra Ecker recorded a career-high 11 blocks, tied for the third-best single-match total in program history. Nine of her blocks were assisted, also the third-best total.
 
Phylecia Armstrong led BCU (1-6) with six kills.
 
Kundsen recorded two kills and an ace to help UTRGV jump out to 14-2 lead. UTRGV built its lead using an 11-0 run capped by a block by Ecker and sophomore Barbara Thais Krug. UTRGV and BCU traded points over the next 10 serves, but with the score 19-7, Knudsen came up with three more kills as part of a 6-1 run to end the set.
 
BCU jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the second set, but five Knudsen kills helped turn the tables as UTRGV went on a 15-7 run to take a 17-13 lead. Knudsen continued her torrid set with kills to extend UTRGV's lead to 19-15 and 21-16 as UTRGV took a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
The third set was tied at four in the early going, but UTRGV scored the next four points to take the lead. BCU scored the following four to tie it, but four Knudsen kills powered a 13-2 run to help UTRGV pull away for the win.
 
UTRGV plays its first match of the South Texas Showdown, presented by Navy Army Community Credit Union, on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Through three events, UTRGV leads the showdown 5-2.

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