MISSOULA, Mont. – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros volleyball team earned a season-opening, 3-0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-12) sweep Friday over the Montana Grizzlies at Dahlberg Arena to start their run in the Ellesyn Invitational.
In her UTRGV debut, junior outside hitter
Ilana De Assis led all hitters with nine kills and racked up four aces, five digs and one block. Junior middle blocker
Margherita Giani recorded eight kills on .800 hitting and a match-high six blocks. Junior outside hitter
Claudia Lupescu added eight kills. Junior setter
Luanna Emiliano dished out a match-high 29 assists and served four aces.
UTRGV (1-0) got out to a 5-0 lead in the first set before Montana (0-1) responded well to make the opening frame a hard-fought battle. Giani accounted for two of those first five points with a block and a kill. The Grizzlies answered with a 6-0 run to take a 9-8 lead, but a timely kill from junior right side
Perris Key ended the run.
The Vaqueros used a pair of 3-0 runs to jump on top 17-13. The big middles in Giani and Santos stepped up late in the frame to create some cushion with a 23-19 lead, then a pair of kills from Lupescu sealed the first set win, 25-20.
Emiliano recorded three consecutive aces as UTRGV again started the second set on a roll to go on top 6-0. With the rust knocked off in a back-and-forth first set, the Vaqueros settled in and dominated the second, leading by as many as 10 points after Assis recorded three points in a row. UTRGV served up seven aces to roll to a 25-16 win in the frame.
The third set started tight, but the scrappiness of UTRGV's defense left the Grizzlies on their heels and helped the Vaqueros create a slim lead. Three-straight aces by Montana setter
Carly Anderson gave Montana its first lead at 10-9, forcing a timeout. Lupescu and Giani put UTRGV back in control, up 15-13, as they teamed up for two blocks and Lupescu tabbed two big kills.
A kill by Santos and another pair of aces from Assis sparked a 4-0 run. Montana trimmed the deficit with help from a string of UTRGV errors late in the match, but the veteran Vaqueros regrouped. Lupescu and Giani, fittingly after anchoring the third, scored UTRGV's final three points to secure the sweep, 25-21.
Junior libero
Kiaraliz Perez anchored UTRGV's relentless defense, tallying seven digs. Key added six and four blocks to aid a defensive effort that allowed the Vaqueros to extend rallies and take control of the match.
The Ellesyn Invitational continues Saturday at 1 p.m. as the Vaqueros battle No. 17 BYU, which upset No. 5 Pitt to open the tournament. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
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