RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros volleyball team, the top seed in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Volleyball Tournament, fell to the fourth-seeded and two-time defending WAC Tournament Champion Utah Valley University Wolverines 0-3 (22-25, 19-25, 25-27) in the semifinals on Friday at the UTRGV Fieldhouse in front of a crowd of 1,208, the 13
th-largest in program history.
UTRGV has now drawn a program record 12,093 fans this season.
The Vaqueros (25-6), who entered the week with a program record RPI of 53, now await their postseason fate as NCAA Tournament and NIVC selections will be made on Nov. 27. The Vaqueros competed in the NCAA Tournament in 2016 and the NIVC in 2021.
Sophomore
Perris Key led the Vaqueros with nine kills on .304 hitting, four digs, two assists and one block. Graduate student
Sarah Cruz finished with nine kills, six digs and one ace. Sophomore
Luanna Emiliano posted her 22
nd double-double with 30 assists, 12 digs, two blocks and two kills. Sophomore
Claudia Lupescu recorded seven kills with three blocks. Junior
Luisa Silva Dos Santos posted six kills on .294 hitting with three blocks. Sophomore
Margherita Giani recorded four kills with four blocks. Junior
Regina Tijerina posted 16 digs and two assists.
Kazna Tanuvasa led the Wolverines (18-10) with 12 kills, five digs and two aces.
Avery Shewell recorded 12 kills with six digs and two blocks.
The first set was tied at 8 on a Cruz kill when the Wolverines went on an 8-1 run to take a 16-9 lead. The Vaqueros came roaring back with a 7-1 run, capped by a Key kill, to pull within 16-17. Two serves later, another Key kill sparked a 4-0 run to give the Vaqueros a 20-19 lead, but the Wolverines scored the next four points and then the two teams traded points as the Wolverines won the set.
The Wolverines jumped out to a 6-3 lead in set two. The Vaqueros pulled even at 10 on a Giani kill that capped a 5-2 run. The Vaqueros were still within one at 14-15 on a Cruz kill before the Wolverines won the next three serves. The Vaqueros got as close as two three times, including at 18-20 on a block by Giani and Lupescu, but the Wolverines closed the set on a 5-1 run to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Vaqueros raced out to an 11-2 lead in set three, going on a 9-0 run with the set tied at 2 that was powered by two Lupescu kills and kills by Key and Giani. The Vaqueros extended their lead to 11 at 17-6 on an ace by junior
Ioanna Charitonidi and then again at 18-7 on an error. The Wolverines won the next four serves to pull within seven, but a Cruz kill was the first of three-straight points by the Vaqueros to make the score 21-11. The Wolverines followed with a 7-0 run. Then, after a Cruz kill, the Wolverines scored the next three points to pull within 21-22. The Vaqueros reached set point at 24-22 and 25-24 on Santos kills before two Shewell kills and an attack error ended the match.
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