PHOENIX, Ariz. – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros volleyball team earned its first win of the season in a five-set battle Sunday, defeating the Long Island (LIU) Sharks 3-2 (25-15, 25-21, 23-25, 22-25, 15-7) to close the GCU Invitational at Global Credit Union Arena.
Four Vaqueros had career-high performances as UTRGV (1-2) fought its way into the win column. Sophomore outside hitter
Martina Franco recorded a career-high 22 kills with 10 digs and two blocks for her second double-double of the season. Senior right side
Valentina Sarti Cipriani finished with a career-high 18 kills on .516 hitting with two blocks. Freshman outside hitter
Dimitra Nanou tabbed her first collegiate double-double, collecting career-highs of 14 digs, 13 kills and three blocks. Freshman middle blocker
Shylah Totten finished with five blocks, a career and match high.
Junior middle blocker
Aaliyah Snead added nine kills on .300 hitting with three blocks. Junior setter
Isabella Costantini dished out 53 assists and had eight digs as she ran an efficient offense that saw UTRGV hit .308 in the match. Junior libero
Celianiz Cabranes totaled a match-high 27 digs and had four assists.
Sara van Gisteren paced LIU (0-3) with 25 kills and had nine digs.
Karly Klaer finished with 48 assists, 13 digs and three aces.
Miabella Musignac totaled 23 digs.
The Vaqueros played clean volleyball to run away with the first set, taking it 25-15 as they hit .500 with only two attack errors. Franco and Sarti Cipriani combined for 10 of UTRGV's 14 kills in the opener while Snead went 3-for-3 with her swings. Junior defensive specialist
Isa Bento sparked a 5-0 scoring run from the service line, dropping a pair of aces to put the Vaqueros up 20-14 and create the momentum the squad rode to a set win.
UTRGV carried the energy into the second set and continued to make good decisions up front. Sarti Cipriani dropped an off-speed kill behind the block and Nanou made LIU pay by slamming down an overpass following another tough serve from Bento for a 10-7 lead. The Sharks responded with a 3-0 run and after a few offensive miscues, the frame was knotted at 19-19.
Franco got the Vaqueros back on track down the stretch, tooling the block to give her squad the edge they needed to take the second set. Totten combined with Sarti Cipriani and Nanou on back-to-back blocks to put UTRGV up three. LIU fought off one set point, but a service error helped UTRGV take the 2-0 match lead with a 25-21 set win.
The Vaqueros were efficient on the attack throughout the match, powering through hands and tooling the block consistently. Costantini distributed the ball well to utilize the many heavy hitters on the court. UTRGV went on a 3-0 run with kills from all spots, first from the right side, then in the middle, then on the outside, to create some cushion. Totten continued to make an impact in the third set, killing an overpass to put UTRGV up five and blocking a back row attack. Sarti Cipriani capped a long rally with good defensive effort from the Vaqueros with another tip behind the block for the 20-16 lead, but LIU responded with a 4-0 run to tie the frame. The match turned into a race to five points and the Sharks used another 4-0 run to force a fourth set after taking the third 25-23.
Set 4 saw the teams exchange scores through the first 15 points as both squads committed their share of errors. The Sharks created the first bit of separation, going up 9-7, but after a block by Totten and Franco and another smart tip by Sarti Cipriani, the frame was knotted at 13-13. Snead ripped a kill on a quick set to the middle to even things at 21-21, but the Sharks again found another level late and used back-to-back aces to take the fourth, 25-22, and force a deciding fifth.
UTRGV quickly went up 3-0 in the race to 15 behind back-to-back errors from the Sharks. Sarti Cipriani and Nanou scored on consecutive off-speed touches to grow the lead to six, then Nanou switched it up and ripped a sharp swing from the outside to make it 12-5 and give all the momentum to the Vaqueros. Snead and Costantini teamed up for UTRGV's eighth block of the match and an attack error by van Gisteren sealed the victory for the Vaqueros, 15-7.
Up next for the Vaqueros is the home opener Thursday at 6:30 p.m. against Texas State as part of the Southwest Showdown at the UTRGV Fieldhouse. Fans can purchase tickets to enjoy the tournament, which includes a Friday matchup between the Vaqueros at UTEP at 6:30 p.m., at
UTRGVTickets.com.
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