COMMERCE, Texas – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros volleyball team swept the East Texas A&M (ETAMU) Lions in Southland Conference play, 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-21), Saturday at the Field House in Commerce.
The Vaqueros (10-7, 6-0 SLC) stayed perfect in conference play and were led by outside hitter
Martina Franco with 14 kills, hitting .379, and adding 11 digs for her fourth straight double-double. Right side
Ema Petkovic had 13 kills, seven of them in the second set, along with three aces. Redshirt junior Harlingen High alum
Julianna Bryant hit .600 with seven kills and added a team-high five blocks. Setter
Lana Rnjak had 34 assists and set a career high with three aces. Senior libero
Celianiz Cabranes tied her season high with three aces and led the defense with 14 digs.
For the Lions (8-11, 2-4 SLC),
Ariana Brown led the way with 11 kills on a .321 clip and added four aces and seven digs.
Samantha Mosley hit .389 with nine kills, and
Gracie Campbell had eight kills, ending her streak of five straight matches with 10 or more. Setter
Haley Mullaney had 17 assists.
UTRGV took advantage early in the first set as an ace from Petkovic put the Vaqueros up 6-3. Consecutive service aces for Brown brought the Lions back to tie the set at 10-10. A strong strike down the middle by Franco sparked a 4-0 run for UTRGV to make it 17-14. Sophomore Brownsville St. Joseph alum
Carmina Tijerina came in to serve and forced a pair of mistakes that led the Vaqueros to a 20-15 lead. An ace by Cabranes helped UTRGV take Set 1 25-20.
The Lions started with the lead in Set 2 before Franco and Bryant came together for a block to tie it at 3-3. Petkovic served her second ace of the day but three straight points by the Lions tied the set at 7-7. Two kills by Petkovic created separation as the Vaqueros took a 14-10 lead.
The run continued with Cabranes at the service line for four straight points as UTRGV led 18-11. Kills by Bryant and Petkovic gave the Vaqueros a 23-15 lead late. With Mullaney serving, the Lions surged back, scoring seven straight to draw within one. A kill by Petkovic stopped the run before Tijerina ended Set 2 with an ace, 25-22.
Rnjak started the third set with back-to-back aces before the Lions responded to tie it 5-5. A run of three straight points for ETAMU was matched by UTRGV as Rnjak's third ace of the set tied it at 11-11. Another run by the Lions was stopped by middle blocker
Aaliyah Snead collected a solo block and two kills to tie the set at 15-15. It started a 6-0 scoring run for UTRGV as it went ahead 19-15. A well-placed kill by Bryant set up Rnjak to finish the sweep 25-21.
The Vaqueros return home Thursday for a Breast Cancer Awareness match against Stephen F. Austin. First serve is at 6:30 p.m. at the UTRGV Fieldhouse.
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