RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros volleyball team started Southland Conference play with a sweep over the McNeese Cowgirls, 3-0 (25-23, 25-16, 25-12), Wednesday at the Townsley Law Arena in Lake Charles, La.
The Vaqueros (5-7, 1-0 SLC) held off an early push from the Cowgirls (4-8, 0-1 SLC) in a tight first set before pulling away in the final two, hitting a season-high .322 as a team.
Outside hitter
Martina Franco led UTRGV with 12 kills, hitting .333. Middle blocker and Harlingen High alum
Julianna Bryant added eight kills on a season-high .615 attack percentage, and
Ema Petkovic chipped in eight kills and three aces. Setter
Lana Rnjak dished out 31 assists, and
Agata Makowska served up a season-high three aces. Libero
Celianiz Cabranes led the defense with 12 digs.
For McNeese,
Kayla Wilson paced the offense with 11 kills, and
Gabbie Maldonado added nine.
Corynne Hausler and
Megan Grose split time setting, combining for 25 assists, while
Sophia Tocmo led the defense with 10 digs.
The two sides could not be separated with the score even at 7-7 following a kill by Bryant early in the first set. Consecutive kills from Rnjak and Petkovic put UTRGV up 12-9. The Cowgirls tied the match at 15-15 on a kill by Wilson.
Soukeyna Diouf sent a screamer down the line before an ace by Rnjak put the Vaqueros up 22-19. A kill from Franco set up UTRGV to take set one 25-23.
Harmony Jackson gave the Cowgirls a 6-4 advantage in set two. Back-to-back service aces from senior Makowska gave UTRGV a 10-9 lead. A pair of kills for Petkovic sandwiched by a solo block from Franco put the Vaqueros up 17-12. Franco continued her strong run with two more kills as UTRGV pulled away to take the second set 25-16.
A combined block for Petkovic and
Aaliyah Snead set the tone for set three as the Vaqueros quickly went ahead 7-2. Consecutive kills by Diouf and Snead were followed by an ace from Makowska as UTRGV went up 13-5. The Vaqueros continued to run away with the set as another ace by Petkovic gave them a 20-10 lead. Bryant and Franco closed out the set, 25-12 and secured the match with two kills each.
UTRGV returns home on Saturday to take on Nicholls at 12 p.m. at the UTRGV Fieldhouse. Fans can purchase tickets at
UTRGVTickets.com and visit
RallyTheValley.com for all you need to know for match day.
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