RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros volleyball team was defeated Friday by the UTEP Miners, 3-0 (25-15, 25-22, 25-12), to complete their matches in the Southwest Showdown at the UTRGV Fieldhouse.
Sophomore outside hitter
Martina Franco and junior middle blocker
Aaliyah Snead each had six kills for UTRGV (1-4). Junior setter
Isabella Costantini recorded 14 assists, four kills and three digs. Junior libero
Celianiz Cabranes totaled 17 digs.
Kaya Weaver led UTEP (5-0) with 12 kills on .444 hitting with three aces.
Landry Braziel added nine kills on .561 hitting.
Kalia Kohler and
Mattie Gantt dished out 22 and 19 assists, respectively, and
Fuka Sekita had 17 digs.
The Miners started fast and never let up during the first set. The rallies were competitive early in the frame as both teams made good defensive plays and put solid swings on the ball. UTRGV was done in by some unforced errors midway through the set which led to a drop in efficiency. UTEP hit .333 while UTRGV was held to .061 as the teams trended in opposite directions down the stretch to UTEP winning the set, 25-15.
Set 2 was back-and-forth through the first 15 points with good rallies. Junior middle blocker and Harlingen High alum
Julianna Bryant and junior outside hitter
Nadine Zech combined for the first UTRGV block of the match to put the Vaqueros up 7-6. But the Miners found a rhythm as their block got active in a hurry and had UTRGV hitting negative at the media break. UTRGV responded well as Bryant scored on a roll shot on the slide attack, then teamed with Franco for a block to create some momentum and force the Miners to call timeout.
UTRGV forced a trio of UTEP errors during an impressive stretch which saw the Vaqueros come all the way back to a 20-19 lead following a massive back row kill from freshman outside hitter
Dimitra Nanou and a well-placed push kill from Franco. The Miners scored three in a row with good variety in the attack, but a middle kill from Snead kept UTRGV in striking distance. UTEP scored the final two points to take the set, 25-22, and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Miners rode the wave to a sharp start in Set 3, opening up a 10-3 lead. Cabranes showcased her athleticism and got under the hard-hit balls from UTEP, but the Miners found ways to score. The Vaqueros battled, but the Miners were in total control in the final frame. UTRGV fought off one match point with a kill by Costantini, but UTEP won it, 25-12.
Up next for the Vaqueros is the Geri Polvino Invitational at Eastern Kentucky from Sept. 12-13.
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