Texas Border Business
RIO GRANDE VALLEY – In its final match before the start of Western Athletic Conference (WAC) play, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros volleyball team fell to the UTEP Miners 1-3 (25-20, 19-25, 23-25, 24-26) on Thursday at the UTRGV Fieldhouse in front of a rambunctious crowd of 1,238.
Junior Sarah Cruz led the Vaqueros (8-5) with 16 kills, eight digs, three blocks and two aces. Sophomore Maria Eduarda Rodrigues recorded 10 kills with three blocks. Sophomore Luisa Silva Dos Santos finished with seven kills, five blocks and two aces. Freshman Luanna Emiliano posted her 10th double-double with 37 assists, 13 digs and three blocks.
Yasso Amin led the Miners (11-2) with 15 kills and six blocks. Kenidy Howard recorded 13 kills and seven blocks. Paulina Perez Rosas finished with 10 kills and 17 digs.
The Vaqueros opened the first set by scoring three of the first four points. Then, with their lead cut to 5-4, the Vaqueros went on a 7-1 run, capped by a Cruz kill, to go up 12-5. The Miners pulled to within three at 13-16 before a Rodrigues kill helped the Vaqueros score four of the next five points. The Miners got close once more at 19-22 before a Santos kill sparked a 3-1 run to end the set.
After dropping set two, the Vaqueros jumped out to a 9-4 lead in set three. The Vaqueros still led at 15-12 on a Rodrigues kill when the Miners won four-straight serves to take the lead. The Vaqueros scored three of the next four points to take an 18-17 lead on a Cruz kill. Later, with the Miners up 21-20, Santos and sophomore Ioanna Charitonidi came up with a block to tie the set. The Miners scored the next three points to reach set point. After an error, a block by senior Veronika Jandova and Charitonidi brought the Vaqueros to within 23-24, but that’s as close as they got.
The Miners took the early lead in set four, going up 10-16. The Vaqueros responded with a 6-1 run, capped by a Santos kill, to go up 12-11. The teams traded 3-0 runs, with the Vaqueros going up 15-14 on a Santos ace. Then, with the scored tied at 16, Cruz came up with back-to-back kills to give the Vaqueros the lead. After the Miners scored the next two points, another Cruz kill and a block by Cruz and Santos put the Vaqueros up 20-18. The Miners won the next five serves, but the Vaqueros responded with a 3-0 run, capped by a Cruz kill, to tie the set at 23. An Alianza Darley kill gave the Miners match point before an error tied the set at 24. Darley and Howard followed with kills, however, to end the match.
UTRGV opens WAC play on Saturday at 2 p.m. at the UTRGV Fieldhouse against Stephen F. Austin. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at UTRGVTickets.com. Those unable to attend the match in person can watch in the United States on ESPN+ or internationally on the WAC Digital Network.
