RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros volleyball team will play 11 of its first 12 matches of the season on the road, so the excitement is high for Tuesday's home opener at 6:30 p.m. against Texas Southern at the UTRGV Fieldhouse.
The Vaqueros (1-3) have the best home crowds in the Southland Conference (SLC) and consistently rank among the top 50 in the nation. Returners and newcomers alike have been itching to get on the court and play in front of a full gym. Fans are encouraged to wear orange to show their Vaqueros pride as part of the Orange Out theme celebrating the home opener.
UTRGV is coming off a strong weekend that saw it go 1-1 at the Southwest Showdown, picking up its first win over the Pac 12's Texas State in nearly 25 years and going toe-to-toe with UTEP in a 3-2 loss. Two of UTRGV's losses have come to 2025 NCAA Tournament teams, and those matches have taught the Vaqueros a lot.
The pace of play will come down a bit with Texas Southern (0-6) coming to Edinburg. Head coach
Todd Lowery said the challenge will be the Vaqueros maintaining their speed and intensity even if the Tigers bring a different style. UTRGV is 47-8 all-time against Texas Southern in a series dating back to 1973. The Vaqueros have won the last seven matches between these squads, with the last battle coming in 2021. UTRGV has swept the Tigers in six consecutive matches and 33 times overall.
Martina Franco and
Ema Petkovic have been two of the key offensive pieces for UTRGV. Franco is averaging 3.20 kills/set and delivering from the outside and back row. Petkovic has a heavy swing on the right side and contributes 2.93 kills/set. She has already tallied 14 service aces and is incredibly impactful at the service line. Reigning SLC Setter of the Week
Lana Rnjak is dishing out 8.47 assists/set and is quickly building chemistry with the offensive weapons.
Dunja Stankovic leads UTRGV's defensive specialists with 1.87 digs/set while
Julianna Bryant has been a force up front averaging 1.07 blocks/set.
The Vaqueros will be the third SLC school Texas Southern faces in the non-conference slate. The Tigers were swept at East Texas A&M and fell, 3-1, to Houston Christian in a neutral-site match. Texas Southern heads into this match after an 0-3 weekend at the Houston Invitational.
Lauren Battle and
Selana Morales lead the Tigers averaging 2.20 and 2.00 kills/set, respectively.
Ava Ray and
Kadence Davison run the offense and average 3.95 and 3.38 assists/set, respectively.
Lauanna Pino anchors the back row defense while
Aaliyah Brown has a team-high 12 blocks.
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