LAKE CHARLES, La. – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros volleyball team won its seventh straight Southland Conference (SLC) match Thursday with a 3-0 (25-10, 25-18, 25-20) sweep over the McNeese Cowgirls at the Townsley Law Arena.
Sophomore outside hitter
Martina Franco led UTRGV (13-7, 8-1 SLC) with 15 kills on .560 hitting with three aces, three assists and four digs. Freshman outside hitter
Dimitra Nanou added 12 kills on .476 hitting with nine digs and two aces. UTRGV's middle blockers, redshirt sophomore Harlingen High alum
Julianna Bryant and junior
Aaliyah Snead, had six kills each. Junior setter
Isabella Costantini totaled 31 assists, five digs and three kills. Junior libero
Celianiz Cabranes had 10 digs and three assists. McNeese did not record a single block as UTRGV hit .471 in the match.
Kayla Wilson paced McNeese (6-15, 2-7 SLC) with 10 kills. Setter
Corynne Hausler finished with 15 assists.
UTRGV rolled to a 25-10 win in Set 1 behind the big arm of Franco and a clean offense. The Vaqueros did not commit a single attack error while putting down 15 kills on just 26 attempts, hitting .577 in the frame. Franco had eight kills and added an ace to almost outscore the Cowgirls by herself in the opening set. Nanou's tough serving led to a pair of 5-0 and 7-0 scoring runs as she gave McNeese fits. The Cowgirls were held to .034 hitting in the first, recording seven kills with six attack errors.
The Vaqueros were quick to create separation in the first set, but three early errors kept things tight to start the second. Franco sparked some momentum with a kill and an ace, giving UTRGV a 9-5 lead and forcing a McNeese timeout. The Cowgirls found a rhythm offensively and kept the Vaqueros within arm's reach as the squads swapped points for a stretch. Nanou helped UTRGV take control late, putting down three kills and an ace for a 23-15 lead. McNeese fought off two set points, then Bryant notched a kill to take the 25-18 win.
Set 3 was tight from the first serve as both teams battled in the key frame. McNeese had control early, but the Vaqueros scored in spurts, resulting in lead changes and ties. UTRGV used a 5-1 run to take its largest lead at 18-15, then the Cowgirls answered to even things up at 18-18.
Franco started a 5-0 run with a kill and an ace, then Bryant accounted for three consecutive points with a pair of assisted blocks and a kill to give UTRGV a 23-18 lead. McNeese closed the gap, but the Vaqueros secured the sweep as junior defensive specialist
Isa Bento recorded her first kill of the season for the 25-20 set win.
The Vaqueros will be back in action Saturday at 11 a.m. at Nicholls.
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