RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros volleyball team fell to the Utah Valley University Wolverines 1-3 (25-15, 17-25, 23-25, 21-25) on Monday at the UTRGV Fieldhouse.
 
Senior Veronika Jandova led the Vaqueros (2-11, 2-9 WAC) with 11 kills and a season-high six blocks. Freshman Ada Bulgur recorded 11 kills with five digs and three blocks. Sophomore Victoire Nama finished with 11 kills, nine digs and two aces. Junior Yasmim Da Silva posted seven kills with nine digs and four blocks. Junior Sarah Cruz finished with five kills and a career-high seven blocks. Senior Debora Nazario dished out 37 assists with 10 digs and a season-high four blocks for her first double-double of the season.
 
As a team, the Vaqueros recorded a season-high 13.0 team blocks, including a season-high 22 block assists.
 
Kazna Tarawhiti Tanuvasa led the Wolverines (10-4, 10-3 WAC) with 15 kills and four blocks. Kristen Bell recorded 13 kills with six digs. Jaysa Funk Stratton finished with 32 assists, 10 digs and three blocks.
 
The Vaqueros jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first set thanks in-part to three Cruz blocks. The Wolverines got as close as one three times, including at 11-12. A Da Silva kill helped the Vaqueros score the next two points. One serve later, with the score 14-12, four Jandova kills powered an 8-0 run to push the set out of reach.
 
The Vaqueros took a 3-2 lead in the second set on a block by Cruz and Bulgur. The Wolverines won the next three serves to take the lead, but the Vaqueros regained the advantage at 7-6 on a block by Nazario and Jandova. The set stayed tight for a little while, with the Vaqueros going up 14-13 on a Da Silva kill. The Wolverines, however, responded with a 9-1 run to take control of the set.
 
The Vaqueros led 5-1 at the start of the third set on a block by Da Silva and Cruz. The Vaqueros pushed their led to 10-4 on a block by Jandova and Da Silva. The Wolverines responded with a 13-2 run to take a 17-12 lead. Then, with the Vaqueros down 14-19, a Bulgur kill sparked a 7-1 run to put the Vaqueros up 21-20. The Vaqueros still led at 23-22 before the Wolverines scored the final three points to take the set.
 
The Vaqueros and Wolverines traded serves early in the fourth set. Then, with the score 4-5, the Vaqueros went on a 5-0 run, capped by a Jandova kill, to go up 9-5. The Vaqueros still led by four at 12-8 on a Cruz kill. That's when the Wolverines went on a 7-1 run to take a 15-13 lead. The Vaqueros pulled to within one at 20-21 on a Nama kill, but that's as close as they got.
 
UTRGV and Utah Valley wrap up the series on Tuesday at 12 p.m. at the UTRGV Fieldhouse. UTRGV Athletics is capping capacity at the UTRGV Fieldhouse at 231 fans. Single-match tickets had to be purchased by 5 p.m. Monday and are no longer available. For more information about match day, visit GoUTRGV.com/game-day.
 
Fans can watch for free online at WACDigitalNetwork.com.

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