RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros volleyball team fell to the Stephen F. Austin 'Jacks 1-3 (24-26, 19-25, 27-25, 17-25) on Thursday at the UTRGV Fieldhouse in front of an energetic crowd of 1,407.
The Vaqueros (14-10, 8-3 WAC) have now played in front of six crowds of 1,000+, a program record-tying five of which have been at home. This was the third-largest crowd of the year and the eighth largest in program history. The Vaqueros have welcomed five of the 25 largest crowds in program history this season.
Junior
Perris Key led the Vaqueros with 15 kills on .345 hitting, nine digs and three blocks. Junior
Claudia Lupescurecorded 12 kills with six digs and two blocks. Junior
Luanna Emiliano dished out 44 assists with three aces and nine digs. Junior
Kiaraliz Perez posted 14 digs with four assists and one kill.
Ielan Bradley led the 'Jacks (22-3, 11-0 WAC) with 15 kills and five blocks.
Izabella Ortiz posted 10 kills and five blocks.
After dropping the first two sets, the Vaqueros fell behind 0-3 and 2-5 to start set three. Kills by Key, junior
Ilana De Assis and senior
Luisa Silva Dos Santos tied the set before the 'Jacks scored the next two points to take the lead. Assis responded with a kill as the Vaqueros went on a 4-1 run to go up 9-8. The Vaqueros and 'Jacks traded points until a 4-1 run put the 'Jacks up 19-17. Lupescu answered with back-to-back kills and three in a four-point span to put the Vaqueros back on top. Then, after the 'Jacks scored three-straight points, the Vaqueros answered with a 3-0 run of their own, capped by an Emiliano ace, to reach set point at 24-22. The 'Jacks won the next two serves to pull even. Then, with the score tied at 25, Assis and Key recorded kills to end the set.
The Vaqueros rode that momentum early in the fourth set, going up 5-1 and 7-3 on three Assis kills and two Key kills. The Vaqueros still led at 9-6 when the 'Jacks scored five-straight points as part of a 12-3 run to pull away for the win.
The Vaqueros host UT Arlington on Saturday at 2 p.m. at the UTRGV Fieldhouse. The first 500 fans in attendance will receive WAC Championship replica rings, courtesy of Dill Law Firm. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at
GoUTRGV.com/Tickets. Current UTRGV students receive free general admission with their student ID. All fans need to follow the clear bag policy, details of which can be found at
GoUTRGV.com/ClearBag. Doors open at 1 p.m.
Fans unable to attend in person can watch domestically on
ESPN+ or internationally via
WAC International.
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