MORGANTOWN, W.Va. –The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros volleyball team dropped its season opener, 3-1 (25-14, 25-18, 23-25, 25-18) to the West Virgina (WVU) Mountaineers Friday to begin the Country Roads Challenge at Hope Coliseum.
 
Sophomore right side Ema Petkovic was tremendous in her Vaqueros debut, leading the squad with 14 kills and five service aces, both career highs. Petkovic hit .323 while recording three blocks and seven digs. Junior outside hitter Martina Franco added 13 kills with five digs and three blocks. Redshirt junior middle blocker and Harlingen High alum Julianna Bryant had a team-high four blocks with five kills on .417 hitting. Freshman Lana Rnjak earned the start at setter and ran the 5-1 offense throughout the match, totaling 36 assists with two kills. 
 
Nina Horning led WVU (1-0) with 17 kills on .387 hitting while Anna Barr added 13 kills on .391 hitting. The Mountaineers totaled 11 blocks and hit .324 on the match while holding UTRGV to .158. 
 
The Vaqueros (0-1) and Mountaineers were swapping scores as they knocked the rust off in the first few points of the opening set. Petkovic showcased her solid serving early, dropping a laser on the back line for an ace. The Vaqueros were within one point of the lead through the first 21 points as Bryant made some smart reads to place off-speed touches in open spots. 
 
West Virgina found a groove midway through the match and used a 7-0 run to take a commanding 20-12 lead. The Mountaineers hitters were sharp and fast, preventing the Vaqueros from getting any pressure on the net and therefore causing fits for the back row defenders. West Virginia's block recorded three stops in the first set and held UTRGV to .000 hitting as the Mountaineers rolled to a 25-14 set win. 
 
The Vaqueros responded well and opened the second set strong. Petkovic scored on an ace and a smart swing off the block to even things up at 5-5. Franco ripped a back row kill and Rnjak dumped over a second-touch kill to keep things tight. 
 
Again, midway through the frame the Mountaineers were able to take control. A 6-1 run shifted momentum quickly in favor of the home team and sent the teams to the bench with WVU leading, 15-9, after an ace. 
 
Franco, Bryant and Petkovic turned up the intensity to spark a 4-0 run for UTRGV and get within 17-14. Petkovic served her third ace and the duo of Franco and Bryant recorded back-to-back kills and teamed up for an ace as the Vaqueros started showing their fight. WVU responded and closed the set on a 5-1 run to win it, 25-18, and take a 2-0 lead. 
 
The Vaqueros found their rhythm in the third set. Petkovic had a block and a sharp-angled kill to get the Vaqueros on top. Bryant capped back-to-back rallies with scores on the net, recording a solo block on an out-of-system touch and then tipping down a deflected hit to make it 10-8 in favor of UTRGV. Petkovic again delivered a loud swing to extend UTRGV's lead to 14-11 as she tooled the block on the right side to close a fast, competitive rally. 
 
UTRGV reached 20 points for the first time as Franco scored two in a row with a kill and a solo block for the 20-17 lead. Unforced errors by the Vaqueros got the Mountaineers back in the match with the score knotted at 22-22. Petkovic was the difference maker once again, combining for a block with Bryant and recording a kill to give the Vaqueros their first set point. WVU fought off one with a kill, but UTRGV took the set, 25-23, off a tip-kill by Bryant in the middle. UTRGV tallied four blocks in the third set – after only recording two in the first two sets combined – and held the Mountaineers to .182 hitting in the frame to make it 2-1. 
 
Petkovic continued to shine for the Vaqueros in the fourth set. She provided a 3-0 run with a kill and back-to-back aces to give UTRGV an early 5-4 lead in the frame. The Mountaineers responded with a 4-0 run to force a timeout and maintained the lead from that point on despite a solid effort from the Vaqueros. Petkovic was efficient from the right side while Franco carried the load with attacks, but UTRGV's hitting percentage dipped back below .100 for the second time in the match to help WVU secure the win with a 25-18 set. 
 
Service errors did the Vaqueros in. UTRGV committed 18 service errors in the match, and many were poorly timed and stopped the momentum when the Vaqueros started to go on a run. 
 
UTRGV completes its run at the Country Roads Challenge Saturday at 2 p.m. against UMBC. 

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