GREENVILLE, S.C. – Dominance from the service line helped The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros volleyball team earn a 3-0 (25-19, 25-13, 25-15) sweep in the season-opening match against the Charlotte 49ers Friday in the Furman Invitational at Alley Gym.
UTRGV (1-0) will be back in action Friday at 5:30 p.m. against the hosting Furman Paladins. Fans can watch the match domestically on ESPN+.
The Vaqueros served up 16 aces in the speedy win, recording seven in the first set, four in the second, and five in the third. Senior outside hitter
Ilana De Assis led UTRGV's attack with 12 kills and tabbed eight digs. Sophomore outside hitter
Nadine Zech had eight kills on .462 hitting. Seniors
Claudia Lupescu and
Perris Key each recorded seven kills, with Key notching a .429 hitting percentage, and combined for 10 digs. Key matched her career high with four aces and Lupescu added three. Sophomore libero
Celianiz Cabranes tallied match-highs with five aces and 11 digs. Sophomore setter
Isabella Costantini dished out 27 assists and three aces with eight digs.
The opening set was close early as both teams shook off the rust and swapped scores to an 11-11 tie. Midway through the frame, UTRGV's serving got hot and forced Charlotte (0-1) out of system. The Vaqueros went on a 5-0 scoring run behind three consecutive aces from Cabranes to extend the lead to 23-18, then put the set away, 25-19.
UTRGV took control of the second set after the first 10 points and never looked back. A four-point run backed by a pair of aces from Cabranes gave the Vaqueros some momentum. They went on a 10-0 scoring run behind Zech's powerful swing and a pair of aces from Costantini to open up a 19-7 lead. Lupescu capped the frame at 25-13 with a kill. UTRGV tabbed a match-high .355 hitting percentage in the second frame as the tough serving presented favorable scoring opportunities.
The Vaqueros kept rolling into the third and jumped out to a 14-9 lead with good serving from Lupescu, Key and Costantini. Charlotte called a couple of timeouts late in the frame, hoping to slow UTRGV down, but the Vaqueros were not to be denied. Assis and Zech paced the offense late, and Key recorded two aces in a 6-0 run that put the match out of reach. A 49ers attack error sealed UTRGV's victory, 25-15.
UTRGV held Charlotte to .013 hitting with just 17 kills. The Vaqueros tallied 37 team kills on .258 hitting.
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