Vaqueras advance to semifinals

The UTRGV Volleyball Team faced off against Southern Utah University tonight, beating them 3-1 and claiming their spot in the Western Athletic Conference semifinals, which will also take place at the UTRGV Fieldhouse.  

During the first set, the Vaqueras maintained a constant lead, which set the tone for the rest of the home game, with over 1,100 people in attendance.

UTRGV junior middle blocker Luisa Silva Dos Santos led the Vaqueras with 12 kills, three digs and four blocks.

During the second set, however, the Thunderbirds took the lead and ultimately won 25-18.

Southern Utah junior outside hitter Makenzie Templeton led her team with 14 kills and 15 digs.

Thunderbirds head coach  Kacey Nady said she thought UTRGV performed well. 

“I thought that UTRGV played really well,” Nady said. “Their blocking was, honestly, incredible. I thought that we played hard all the way to the end. I think it really showed. We rounded off a couple when we were down by 15 points.”

UTRGV Volleyball head coach Todd Lowery said he thought Southern Utah played well.

“We had to serve it really, really, really aggressive to get them out of system,” Lowery said. “Even then, I thought they passed it well all the way until the end. Hats off to them.”

Asked for his thoughts on the second set, Lowery replied that he thought the team could have done a little better, but they did well overall. 

“I thought they played really well,” he said. “It wasn’t that we played bad. Maybe we could’ve played a little tighter than that. … [The Thunderbirds] went out and had really good offense. … I thought we were a little soft with our serve.”

Vaqueras sophomore outside hitter Perris Key put up a career high of 11 kills, three digs and five blocks.

Asked if she thought the Thunderbirds started letting go at any point in the game, Key replied that she did feel like they knew it was over. 

“I think going into set four, after we got like the first three blocks, I think they knew,” Key said.

Southern Utah senior middle blocker Raegen Beeson put up 13 kills, six digs, and three blocks with a hitting percentage of .333. 

Silva Dos Santos said the crowd was amazing. 

“No words,” she said. “Everything’s amazing, just like everything is working. Everyone is helping. It makes everything better.” 

Key said, “I feel like we have the community behind us for this tournament.” 

Tonight’s win puts the volleyball team’s record at 25-5 overall and 13-1 in conference, which earned them the No. 1 seed in the tournament.

On Nov. 15, the WAC announced Lowery as Coach of the Year; outside hitter Sarah Cruz, Player of the Year; and Luanna Emiliano, Setter of the Year. 

The Vaqueras are set to play the semifinals against fourth-seeded Utah Valley University at 7 p.m. Friday in the UTRGV Fieldhouse.