RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros volleyball team remained the only unbeaten team in the Southland Conference (SLC) with a 3-0 (25-22, 25-18, 25-17) sweep over the Lamar Cardinals Saturday at the UTRGV Fieldhouse.
The UTRGV Vaqueros (12-7, 8-0 SLC) extended their winning streak to nine matches and claimed their sixth conference sweep behind a balanced performance, scoring with a multiple offense, aggressive serving, and solid defense. UTRGV held Lamar to .048 hitting behind 11 blocks – it's the third match this season the Vaqueros have forced opponents to hit below .100 and the lowest efficiency for an opponent this season.
Junior outside hitter
Martina Franco had 11 kills with 11 digs for her sixth consecutive double-double while freshman middle
Jasmyn Walker notched career highs of nine kills and four blocks. Redshirt junior Harlingen High alum
Julianna Bryant and freshman outside
Soukeyna Diouf both contributed six kills and Bryant recorded five blocks. Freshman setter
Lana Rnjak dished out 29 assists with seven digs and senior libero
Celianiz Cabranes had 14 digs with two aces. Senior middle
Aaliyah Snead had five blocks and senior defensive specialist
Isa Bento tacked on three aces.
Nisaan Martinez and
Maja Malinowska paced Lamar (6-15, 3-5 SLC) with 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Malinowska also had 11 digs to record a double-double. Setter
Alexa Gonzalez finished with 20 assists and eight digs while libero
Gabby Baker totaled 14 digs.
The first set saw the teams exchange blows in a tight affair through the first 30 points. Walker had a strong start, combining with Bryant to record a block and then tooling the block on a slide attack to create some momentum for UTRGV after a slow start. Lamar maintained no better than a two-point lead through the middle of the frame as the Cardinals gritty back row defense picked up the versatile swings from the balanced UTRGV attack.
Late in the first set, Bryant and Franco sparked a run to put the Vaqueros in control. Bryant used her quick, sharp swing to slam down a middle attack inside the 10-foot line to start a 3-0 push. Franco recorded a solo block to put UTRGV on top, 14-13, for the first time since the opening serve. UTRGV's defensive pressure got to Lamar late, forcing a string of errors that aided a four-point cushion for the home team. Walker put down another kill on the slide and Franco and Bryant teamed up for a block reach set point, then an offspeed attack over the block by Franco secured the frame, 25-22.
The Cardinals used three consecutive aces to take control of Set 2 from the first serve, building a 5-0 lead and forcing an early UTRGV timeout. Franco and Bryant recorded kills to aid a 4-0 run to get within three, but the Cardinals took advantage of UTRGV attack errors and to lead by as many as seven points – until Bento took the service line.
Bento backed a 7-0 run for the Vaqueros, collecting two aces and putting the Cardinals on their heels with her tough serve to give UTRGV its first lead at 14-13. The Vaqueros used a 5-0 run behind more aggressive serving, this time from freshman defensive specialist
Dunja Stankovic, to completely flip the momentum of the set. Stankovic recorded an ace and Snead tabbed a solo block for the 22-17 advantage. Walker, Bryant and Franco all collected kills to close out the set, and after trailing by seven early, UTRGV took the set by seven at 25-18 for the 2-0 match lead.
The third set started similar to the first, with the teams exchanging scores in a tight battle early. Diouf was instrumental to get the Vaqueros on a roll, converting on an out-of-system swing with a sharp, deep kill down the line before recording a solo block against the Lamar right side. Bento served her third ace and Diouf tabbed another kill to double up the Cardinals at 12-6. Rnjak became the fourth Vaqueros player to serve an ace and Snead followed with a solo block to send UTRGV to the media timeout with a 15-7 advantage.
Lamar responded with a 3-0 run but a challenge went UTRGV's way and Cabranes served an ace to get back into rhythm. Bryant put down a kill and teamed up with Walker for a block, then Cabranes dropped another ace with some net assistance to help build the lead to 22-11. Lamar showed some fight and got within seven, spoiling two match points, but UTRGV's pressure on the net forced an attack error that secured the sweep with a 25-17 set win.
UTRGV's next match will be a SLC contest at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Southeastern.
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