RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros volleyball team fell to the East Texas A&M Lions in five sets, 3-2 (25-22, 25-22, 25-18, 25-22, 15-12), in a Southland Conference (SLC) match Thursday at the UTRGV Fieldhouse in Edinburg.
The Vaqueros (14-10, 10-3 SLC) rallied from a 2-0 deficit to force a decisive fifth set against East Texas A&M (10-16, 4-9 SLC), recording 84 digs as a team.
Outside hitter
Martina Franco led UTRGV with 21 kills and added a season-high 20 digs for a double-double, and her 79 attacks tied for the fourth most in a match in program history. Senior libero
Celianiz Cabranes recorded a season-high 29 digs. It was her 21
st match with at least 21 digs, setting the program record. Freshman
Jasmyn Walker tied her career high of nine kills, including five in the fourth set, and middle blocker
Aaliyah Snead also had nine. Redshirt junior Harlingen high alum
Julianna Bryant added 13 kills, hitting .393, along with eight blocks, and freshman outside hitter
Soukeyna Diouf had seven kills. Setter
Lana Rnjak dished out 54 assists, and Brownsville St. Joseph alum
Carmina Tijerina chipped in 12 digs.
For the Lions,
Ariana Brown led the way with 16 kills and four aces, and
Gracie Campbell added 15 kills and 10 digs.
Samantha Mosley had 15 kills, hitting .273, with a team-high five blocks. Setters
Katelyn Pritchard and
Jill Vinal combined for 46 assists, and
Jade Washington led the defense with 22 digs.
East Texas A&M jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the first set behind a pair of Brown aces, but Tijerina's serve helped UTRGV tie it at 6-6. Franco later served four straight points, with two kills of her own, to turn a 9-7 deficit into an 11-9 lead. The teams tied eight times in all, and a Tijerina ace and a Franco kill helped UTRGV build a 21-17 lead. The Lions answered with an 8-1 finish to take the set, 25-22.
The Lions started Set 2 with a 6-1 run. Consecutive service aces for Cabranes capped a 4-0 run. Kills by Franco and Bryant were followed by a setter dump by Rnjak to tie the set at 11-11.
The Lions took advantage of three errors by the Vaqueros to take a 17-13 lead. UTRGV climbed back to tie the set at 19-19, but the Lions would take Set 2, 25-22.
It was a much better start for the Vaqueros in Set 3 with kills by Franco and Snead before the two came together for a block to make it 9-3. The Lions crawled back within one after a pair of kills by Brown. An ace by Tijerina finished a 5-1 run as UTRGV took a 15-11 lead into the media timeout.
Diouf put down a kill sandwiched by two kills for Bryant as the Vaqueros led 18-11. An ace by senior
Agata Makowska was followed by a kill for Snead as UTRGV led 23-16. Franco put the Vaqueros on set point and a block by Bryant and Walker gave UTRGV Set 2, 25-18.
The Lions started Set 4 with a 5-2 lead as Brown collected a pair of kills. Two kills for Bryant were followed with a kill for Snead as the Vaqueros cut the lead to one. A service ace for
Sediong Scott put the Lions back ahead by three, at the break, 15-12.
The Vaqueros surged out of the break, going on a 7-1 run with Franco contributing a kill and an ace in the run. Walker set up set point with a kill and then finished it herself two points later as the Vaqueros won Set 4, 25-22.
Franco and Bryant opened the fifth set with kills, but the Lions ran off four straight points and led 10-4 after a Vinal ace. UTRGV answered with a 7-1 run, with Rnjak serving four straight points and Snead adding two kills, to tie it at 11-11. East Texas A&M scored four of the final five points, and a Franco kill was not enough to stop the Lions from taking the final set, 15-12.
The Vaqueros will stay home to play Northwestern State Saturday at 12 p.m. at the UTRGV Fieldhouse.
Fans can purchase tickets for the match at
UTRGVTickets.com. All tickets for UTRGV Athletics home events will use NFC scanning, therefore screenshots will not grant entry. Fans can save and access tickets for entry via Apple or Google Wallet or by logging into your account at
UTRGVTickets.com.
Fans are encouraged to visit
RallyTheValley.com for everything they need to know about attending home volleyball matches. If you're unable to attend, the match will be streamed on
ESPN+ domestically and
Southland International for international fans.
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