RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros head volleyball coach Todd Lowery announced on Thursday the addition of 6-0 outside hitter Nadine Zech to complete the 2023 roster. 
 
Zech joins the Vaqueros from Brescia, Italy, where she played for LPM BAM Mondovì. She spent the last two years competing in Serie A2, the second highest level of women's professional volleyball in Italy. LPM Bam Mondovì finished the 2022-23 season in fifth place in the Italian Cup standings. 
 
The right-handed pin is a former Italian Champion with a strong arm and high volleyball IQ. She rounds out the 19-person roster for the 2023 season, which begins in Montana on Aug. 25. 
 
"Nadine brings high level experience. She was playing A2 in Italy, which is a super high level of volleyball, so even though she's just going to be a freshman, she's going to come in with a lot of experience," Lowery said. "The thing I really noticed when I saw her play is she's mentally tough. That's what we really need in that outside position, someone who is mentally tough and real steady when things aren't going our way or her way. We're adding her a little bit late, but I think she'll jump in and get rolling. She creates more depth than we already have in the gym, which we've been super happy with so far. The overall effort in the gym has been amazing so adding another person to the roster to compete is going to be a great thing for us." 

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