Texas Border Business
RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros volleyball team opened up the second half of Western Athletic Conference play with a 3-0 (25-8, 25-22, 25-20) victory over the Seattle U Redhawks on Thursday at the UTRGV Fieldhouse.
The eight points allowed in the first set are the fewest since Aug. 27, 2016, when the Vaqueros (11-12, 5-4 WAC) held Prairie View A&M to seven points in the second set.
Freshman Victoire Nama led the Vaqueros with 10 kills on .318 hitting. Senior Barbara Silvarecorded nine kills on .692 hitting with three blocks. Sophomore Sarah Cruz finished with nine kills, eight digs and two blocks.
Sofia Sanchez led the Redhawks (10-13, 1-8 WAC) with eight kills.
The Vaqueros jumped out to a 7-1 lead in the first set on an ace by junior Samaret Caraballo. The Vaqueros extended their lead to 11-2 on a Cruz kill, 16-4 on a Cruz error, and 22-5 on a Nama kill before winning the set on an Oliveira kill.
The second set was tight throughout. The Vaqueros trailed 12-13 when a block and an ace by junior Veronika Jandova helped the Vaqueros win four-straight serves to take the lead. The Redhawks got as close as one at 16-17 before a block by Silva and Oliveira helped the Vaqueros go on a 4-1 run to push the set out of reach.
The Vaqueros scored the first three points of the third set while taking a 5-1 lead on a Silva kill. The Redhakws responded with an 8-2 run to take the lead, and still led by two at 10-8. That’s when an Oliveira kill sparked a 7-2 run to put the Vaqueros up 15-12. The Redhawks were still within three at 16-19 when a Cruz kill sparked a 4-0 run. The Vaqueros won the match on a Nama kill.
UTRGV continues this four-match home stand on Saturday at 12 p.m. against California Baptist at the UTRGV Fieldhouse. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at UTRGVTickets.com. Fans purchasing their tickets online prior to match day can save up to $2 per ticket. Doors open at 11 a.m.
 Vaqueros volleyball team opened up the second half of Western Athletic Conference play with a 3-0 (25-8, 25-22, 25-20) victory over the Seattle U Redhawks on Thursday at the UTRGV Fieldhouse.){kind=link}