Big win as volleyball SLC Tourney nears
The UTRGV Women’s Volleyball Team (15-10, 11-4 SLC) swept the University of the Incarnate Word Cardinals (16-9, 9-6 SLC) 3-0 in thrilling fashion at the Fieldhouse on the Edinburg campus.
Women’s Volleyball head coach Todd Lowery said that the team’s consistency was what allowed them to break out the brooms against a tough conference opponent.
“I thought the girls did a really good job,” Lowery said. “We talked about taking care of the easy balls and the stuff that we needed to take care of.”
Tonight was Senior Night for the Vaqueros, and the team’s seniors were honored in a pregame ceremony.
Three UTRGV seniors led the team in total kills. Outside hitter Ilana De Assis (11) and co-captains Claudia Lupescu (15) and Perris Key (9) set the tone on the court.
Key described tonight’s game as a good practice for the team ahead of the upcoming Southland Conference tournament, describing her senior night as “bittersweet.”
“I think we did our jobs and we did what we touched on in practice,” she said. “It’s always fun playing in front of this crowd, but I’m kinda sad because it’s coming to an end but it was good.”
Both co-captains played for UTRGV for four seasons, and Lowery said they have been “so big for our program.”
“You’re talking about two captains of the team,” he said. “Championship teams are led from the court, not the coaching staff, and we have two great leaders on this team.”
Tonight was also “956 Night” at the Fieldhouse, which Lowery described as “a hit.” Lowery called the Fieldhouse one of the best environments in mid-major volleyball.
The Vaqueros got off to a hot start out of the gate, opening the first set with a 7-2 run. The Cardinals responded with a 4-1 run of their own to bring the set within 2 off a couple of UTRGV errors.
Both teams traded scoring runs of their own, with the Vaqueros maintaining their lead despite a pair of overturned line calls. UTRGV finished the first set on an 8-2 run to take it 25-18, seizing the match lead 1-0.
The second set began with UTRGV going out to a quick lead; however the Cardinals kept pace to keep it 7-6. The Vaqueros then took over, closing the set on a 17-6 run to take it 25-14, commanding the match 2-0.
UIW opened the scoring in the third set, jumping out to a 2-0 lead, their first of the game. The Vaqueros promptly responded by tying it at 2-2 and 3-3, taking a 4-3 lead on an ace by sophomore libero Celianiz Cabranes.
After the Vaqueros took a 15-10 lead, the Cardinals traded blows with them, eventually fighting back and taking a 23-22 lead. With the set tied at 24, the Vaqueros took the final two points, completing a 3-0 sweep with a 26-24 thriller in the final set.
The Vaqueros will play their next game at 2 p.m. Saturday at home against the Houston Christian University Huskies.
This will be their final regular season contest ahead of the Southland Conference Tournament in Hammond, Louisiana on Nov. 22.