On Thursday night, the UTRGV Women’s Volleyball Team hosted the WAC Home Opener with a 3-1 win against Grand Canyon University.
During the first set, UTRGV instantly took a 3-1 lead over Grand Canyon, but Grand Canyon made a quick comeback and began winning the set 10-5.
UTRGV junior middle blocker junior Talita Oliveira took the initiative and recorded four blocks in a row while being partnered with junior right side hitter Barbara Silva and senior outside hitter Antonela Jularic.
At the end of the first set, UTRGV came out victorious, 25-22.
For the second set, the Vaqueras jumped in the lead 9-5 and made sure Grand Canyon did not obtain any more points. UTRGV scored 12 more points to make the leading gap 21-5. The set ended in a 25-10 victory in favor of the Vaqueras.
The third set went back and forth until both teams reached 13-13. Grand Canyon broke away and took a 17-14 lead. UTRGV came back to tie the game, but was unable to come out with the win. Grand Canyon obtained a 25-22 third-set victory.
After what happened to the Vaqueras in the third set, the team was determined to seal the game during the fourth set. UTRGV quickly jumped to a 10-3 lead, but Grand Canyon was not done yet, as the Antelopes eventually caught up to make the score 21-19. A kill from UTRGV’s Jularic resulted in a 26-24 win for the Vaqueras.
Despite the win, Head Coach Todd Lowery said there are still things the team needs to work on.
“You know, as we settle into the new offense, we wanted to just continue to get better on our side of the net,” Lowery said. “I thought we were still up and down a little bit. We gotta find a little bit more rhythm in a couple rotations. Once we get through those rotations a little better, I think we are going to be excited about what this can bring for us.”
Outstanding performers included senior outside hitter Ragni Steen Knudsen, who posted 19 kills and 12 digs. Freshman right side hitter Pamela Moreira recorded 11 kills and four digs. Leading the team in digs was libero senior Gysell Zayas, with 21, and Jularic, with 17.
The Vaqueras now have an overall record of 11-6 (2-1 in WAC) and will play their next game at noon Saturday against Seattle University in the UTRGV Fieldhouse in Edinburg.
