RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros volleyball team will host the Northwestern State Demons in a Southland Conference (SLC) match at noon Saturday at the UTRGV Fieldhouse.

The Vaqueros (14-10, 10-3 SLC) dropped a five-set match to East Texas A&M at home Thursday after being down 2-0. Outside hitter Martina Franco had 21 kills on 79 attacks and a season-high 20 digs for a double-double. Her 79 attacks are tied for the fourth-most in a match in program history. Middle blocker Julianna Bryant had 13 kills, hitting .393, along with eight blocks. Setter Lana Rnjak had 54 assists, one short of her career high.

The Demons (13-15, 5-8 SLC) are coming off a loss to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in four sets. Amber Craig led the team with 11 kills and Olivia Nzioki added 10 kills and five blocks. Jade Longlad had 29 assists, and Emmarie McFarland had a team-high 14 digs. McFarland ranks sixth nationally in digs (487) and 13^th in digs per set (4.82).

UTRGV leads the all-time series 8-2 over the Demons. The Vaqueros picked up a sweep in Natchitoches, La. earlier this year with three players collecting 10 or more kills. Saturday's match will be the third in the series in Edinburg, where UTRGV is 2-0. The Demons have not won more than one set in a match against UTRGV since Aug. 31, 2012.

Thursday's loss to East Texas A&M ended a 15-match home winning streak. UTRGV is 9-4 in matches following a loss over the last two seasons, with six of the nine wins coming in sweeps. The Vaqueros' only match this season at home after a loss was a 3-1 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Saturday.

Fans can purchase tickets for the game 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 games. If you're unable to attend, the match will be streamed on ESPN+ domestically and Southland International for international fans.

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