Texas Border Business
HUNTSVILLE – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros volleyball team fell to the Sam Houston Bearkats 1-3 (14-25, 26-24, 16-25, 15-25) on Thursday at Johnson Coliseum.
Junior Sarah Cruz led the Vaqueros (15-8, 5-3 WAC) with 23 kills and 15 digs for her eighth double-double of the season. Sophomore Luisa Silva Dos Santos recorded nine kills and three blocks. Senior Veronika Jandova posted eight kills and four blocks. Freshman Luanna Emiliano posted her 17th double-double with 39 assists and 14 digs.
Ashley Lewis led the Bearkats (14-7, 7-2 WAC) with 17 kills and 11 digs. Breanne Chausse recorded 14 kills on .375 hitting, 10 digs and five blocks. Morgan Janda finished with 40 assists and 17 digs.
After dropping the first set, the Vaqueros trailed 11-14 in the second set. That’s when the Vaqueros embarked on a 7-2 run featuring four Cruz kills to go up 18-16. The Bearkats scored the next three points before a Santos kill and a Cruz ace gave the Vaqueros the lead. Then, down 20-21, a kill by freshman Ingridy Foltranand a Santos ace put the Vaqueros up 22-21. The Bearkats scored the next two points. Kills by seniorVeronika Jandova tied the set at 23 and 24 before a Cruz kill gave the Vaqueros set point and an error ended the set.
After dropping the third set, the Vaqueros kept the fourth set tight early, as kills by Santos tied the score at 2 and 3 and a Jandova kill tied the set at 4. The Vaqueros were within two at 7-9 on a Cruz kill and three at 9-12 on a block by Santos and sophomore Maria Eduarda Rodrigues, but the Wildcats scored five of the next six points to pull away.
UTRGV is back in action on Saturday at 12 p.m. at Stephen F. Austin (6-3 WAC), which swept Lamar on Thursday. With a win, UTRGV can pass Stephen F. Austin for second place in the WAC Southwest Division standings. Fans can watch in the United States on ESPN+ or internationally on the WAC Digital Network.
