Freshman middle blocker Julianna Bryant (left) shows the excitement for the season as the team wraps up practice Wednesday in the UTRGV Fieldhouse on the Edinburg campus. Ryan Lugo/THE RIDER
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley’s Volleyball team started their 2023 season with a 3-0 win against Montana State University on Aug. 25.
As of press time, the Vaqueras currently sit with 1-2 overall record.
They competed in the Molly Howard Gerwig Memorial Tournament on Friday and Saturday in Houston. Results were not available as of press time.
UTRGV finished its previous season with a 27-7 overall and 13-1 Western Athletic Conference record.
Volleyball head coach Todd Lowery said there were a lot of new faces in the team and he already saw some of them make a “big impact” during their first games.
“I’m excited about the recruiting class that we brought in,” Lowery said. “And now it’s just going to be teaching them our system, the way we do things. And then same things for some of the freshmen that are new and may not be playing as much right now. But setting the groundwork for them to be patient and continue to put in work because their opportunity is going to come before they leave here.”
He said Athletics has a core set of values that they want to see in the athletes.
“We’re definitely a team first kind of mentality, everybody accepting their role,” Lowery said. “And I think we look overall at what we have, as far as weaknesses, from the year before, and … address those weaknesses to overall push the team forward.”
He said they definitely look for unselfish people with great attitudes and work ethic since it is what the program is built upon.
Lowery said making the team better and improving everyday was their goal.
“Ask anyone who is in the WAC what their goal is, and they’re gonna be like, ‘oh win the WAC and go to the NCAA tournament,’” he said. “I think, as a division one program, if you don’t have those expectations, then you’re probably not pushing your team forward at the right pace.”
Lowery said the team is different with different personalities and different coaching styles. He also said he was excited about the group they have because “they have all the potential in the world.”
“Obviously, coming off a year where you win more games than ever in program history and all the other stuff that happened, there’s a lot of high standards … but I think we’re in a position to be really successful,” he said.
Junior outside hitter Claudia Lupescu said the team has been preparing a lot for the season and working on their defense and passing, and they still have room to improve.
Lupescu said they have a diverse team and they like to stay together and get to know each other.
Asked if there were any schools they were looking forward to play against, she replied she was “excited” to play against the University of Pennsylvania, saying it was a great opportunity.
Junior outside hitter Ilana De Assis said she was excited to play all the universities.
“I think each new university is going to be different,” she said. “So, like, it’s a new challenge every time.”
She also said she is excited to see herself improve from starting right now compared to the end of the season.
The WAC Tournament will take place from Nov. 16 to 18 with the NCAA Tournament taking place from Dec. 1 to 17.
