HOUSTON – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros volleyball team lost a 3-2 (15-25, 20-25, 25-19, 25-21,15-13) battle to the Houston Christian (HCU) Huskies in the first match of a Saturday doubleheader at Sharp Gym.
UTRGV (2-3) will be back on the court at 3 p.m. for a match against Prairie View A&M.
Junior right side
Perris Key had a career match to lead UTRGV's effort, notching a double-double as she recorded 17 kills and 17 digs – both career highs. Junior setter
Luanna Emiliano also tabbed a double-double, dishing out 54 assists and tallying 14 digs with four aces. Junior outside hitter
Ilana De Assis led all hitters with 20 kills and had nine digs, followed closely by freshman outside hitter
Nadine Zech's 19 kills and eight digs. Junior libero
Kiaraliz Perez notched a match-high 28 digs and seven assists.
HCU (4-3) was led by 14 kills from
Sara Arroyo, 12 kills and three blocks from
Audrey Pearce, and 10 kills from
Cassidy Drapela.
The Vaqueros dominated the first frame for a 25-15 set win. A pair of aces from Emiliano and kills from every hitter on the court to start the match forced HCU to call an early timeout as the Vaqueros went up 6-0. UTRGV used a heavy dose of Key from the right side to lead by as many as 13 points as the junior racked up seven kills and five digs in the first set.
HCU went on a late 4-0 run to trim the UTRGV lead to 17-9, but Assis and strong play from the middles put the set away.
The late momentum strung together by HCU helped the Huskies take a 6-2 lead to start the second set. Pearce was strong on the attack and some errors by the Vaqueros kept HCU on top, 8-4. But UTRGV didn't fret and responded well, using a 4-0 run to tie the frame at 8-8 as Key, Zech and Emiliano notched kills. The teams swapped scores to an 11-11 tie, then the Vaqueros used a 7-0 run to take control of the set. Emiliano dropped her fourth ace and got all of her hitters involved offensively to turn the set in UTRGV's favor.
The final stretch of the second set looked a lot like the start, with the teams swapping points and battling well. The Huskies got within our points of the lead and fought off one set point, but Assis again was strong to close the frame and sealed the 25-20 win with a kill. UTRGV had four service errors in the set but continued to attack well, boasting a .368 team hitting percentage.
Sophomore setter and Sharyland Pioneer alum
Natalie Reyes made her season debut in the third set. After HCU opened the frame with a 4-0 run, Assis got the Vaqueros on the board and it turned into a tight, back-and-forth affair with several ties and lead changes. HCU's big combo of Pearce and Drapela was solid in the frame, aiding a 6-0 run for HCU to put the Huskies up 20-13. Zech had some good swings late, but HCU took the set, 25-19 as it notched four blocks to keep the Vaqueros hitting .179.
The fourth set was also a tight, back-and-forth battle that saw ties and lead changes through the first 30 points. But the Huskies snapped off six unanswered points to get in control, up 21-16. The Vaqueros hit well in the set, with Emiliano distributing assists to a load of attackers as UTRGV notched a .300 team hitting percentage, besting HCU's .132, but seven service errors aided HCU taking the frame 25-21 to force a deciding fifth set.
Senior middle blocker
Luisa Silva Dos Santos and Zech came up big to start the fifth set and put UTRGV on top, 10-4, after each recorded a pair of kills early and teamed up for a block. HCU responded with a 7-0 run to jump on top 13-11 and force a UTRGV timeout.
HCU's block made another stop out of the timeout to get to match point, but a kill from Assis and a block by Giani-Key got UTRGV within 14-13 and forced a Huskies timeout. An attack error secured the set, 15-13, and the 3-2 win for HCU.
UTRGV committed 18 service errors against only two from the Huskies in the match, and though the Vaqueros outhit HCU, .250 to .165, HCU won the blocking margin and used that to slow UTRGV down at the end of the battle.
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