SAN ANTONIO – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) volleyball team fell to UTSA 0-3 (22-25, 16-25, 11-25) during the UTSA Classic on Saturday at the Convocation Center.
 
Sophomore Sarah Cruz led UTRGV (4-2) with eight kills with five digs. Senior Barbara Silva recorded seven kills, four digs and six blocks. Junior Veronika Jandova finished with five kills on .455 hitting and three blocks. Junior Debora Nazario dished out 22 assists with nine digs.
 
Kirby Smith led UTSA (2-3) with nine kills and seven digs. Bianca Ejesieme and Jenna Patton also had nine kills each.
 
UTRGV won the first point of the match on a block by Silva and senior McAllen Memorial alum Draik Banks. UTSA won eight of the next 10 serves, though, to take the lead. UTRGV pulled to within 5-9 on a Cruz kill and was still within four at 7-11, but UTSA responded with a 7-2 run to go up 18-11. A Silva kill sparked a 7-4 run to bring UTRGV within four. UTRGV then pulled within 22-24 on a block by Silva and Jandova before a kill by Brianna McCulloch ended the set.
 
UTRGV led early in the second set, going up 8-5 on a Cruz kill. UTSA answered with a 17-5 run, though, to take control of the set.
 
UTRGV kept the third set tight at first, pulling to within 10-12 on a Nazario ace, but UTSA scored 13 of the final 14 points to end the match.
 
UTRGV wraps up the tournament against Houston at 5 p.m. Houston beat UTSA 3-1 on Friday and plays Maryland at 12:30.

Support UTRGV Volleyball | Become a Fan on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Follow us on Instagram | Follow us on YouTube