DENTON – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros volleyball team beat the Jacksonville University Dolphins 3-0 (25-15, 25-18, 25-22) in the second match of the first day of the 2022 season as part of the North Texas Invite on Friday at the North Texas Volleyball Center.
Senior
Sarah Cruz led the Vaqueros (1-1) with 17 kills on .387 hitting and four blocks. Sophomore
Ingridy Foltran recorded 11 kills with six digs. Sophomore
Margherita Giani posted five kills and three blocks. Sophomore
Luanna Emiliano recorded her second double-double with 29 assists and 13 digs. Graduate student
Sydney Schoen finished with 12 digs while junior
Regina Tijerina had nine digs. Freshman Sharyland Pioneer alum
Natalie Reyes made her collegiate debut, recording her first assist. Freshman
Brooke Box also made her collegiate debut, posting her first kill and block.
Haley Hart led the Dolphins (0-2) with seven kills and three blocks.
The Vaqueros and Dolphins traded points for the first 27 serves, with the Vaqueros holding a 14-13 lead. That's when a kill and an ace by Foltran sparked the offense to an 8-0 run. Two serves later, a Giani will was the first of three-straight Vaqueros points to end the set.
A Foltran kill helped the Vaqueros break a 3-3 tie to take a 9-4 lead in the second set. Then, with the score 10-6, Cruz kills bookended a 6-1 run that put the Vaqueros up 16-7. The Dolphins got as close as six three times, including at 18-24, but Cruz pushed back with another kill to end the set.
The Dolphins led early in the third set, going up 6-3. The Vaqueros tied the set at 7 on a Cruz kill and took a 10-9 lead on a Foltran kill. Then, down 13-15, a Cruz kill helped the Vaqueros score three-straight points to regain the lead. The Vaqueros trailed once more at 18-19 before going on a 5-1 run, capped by a Cruz kill, to go up 23-20. Two serves later, a block by Cruz and Giani and a Cruz kill ended the match.
The Vaqueros close out the tournament on Saturday at 2 p.m. against host North Texas on
ESPN+.
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