LUBBOCK – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros volleyball team saw its program record 11-match winning streak come to an end with a 1-3 (23-25, 25-18, 16-25, 21-25) loss to the SMU Mustangs at the Red Raider Classic on Friday at United Supermarkets Arena.
UTRGV looks to start a new winning streak on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. against host Texas Tech on
Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
Senior
Sarah Cruz led the Vaqueros (11-2) with 15 kills, nine digs and three blocks. Sophomore
Claudia Lupescu posted 13 kills and 10 digs for her second double-double. Sophomore
Margherita Giani recorded nine kills on an error-free .474 hitting and three blocks. Sophomore
Perris Key posted eight kills. Junior
Luisa Silva Dos Santos recorded seven kills with three blocks. Sophomore
Luanna Emiliano dished out 42 assists with 15 digs, four kills and two blocks for her ninth double-double. Junior
Regina Tijerina finished with 19 digs, five assists and two aces.
Natalie Perdue led the Mustangs (7-5) with 18 kills, 13 digs and two blocks.
Mariek Van Der Mark recorded 13 kills with five blocks.
The Mustangs led 4-3 to start the first set before Emiliano and Santos kills helped the Vaqueros go on a 6-1 run to make the score 9-5. The Mustangs won six of the next eight serves to tie the set at 11. Giani and Key pushed back with kills before the Mustangs went on a 6-1 run to take a 17-14 lead. The Vaqueros pulled within one five times, including 23-24 on an error, but that's as close as they got.
Down 1-2 in the second set, kills by Giani, Santos and Key sparked a 9-2 run to put the Vaqueros up 10-4. Then, after back-to-back Mustangs points, Lupescu, Emiliano and Santos all came up with kill to extend the Vaqueros' lead to 13-6. The Mustangs responded with a 4-1 run to pull within 10-14. Giani answered with two kills and two blocks to power a 5-1 run to push the Vaqueros' lead to 19-11. The Mustangs won the next four serves, but after a timeout, a Lupescu kill, three-straight Key kills and a Tijerina ace put the set on ice.
The Vaqueros were close early in the third set, pulling within 3-5 on a Lupescu kill, 4-6 on a Giani kill, 6-7 on a Santos kill, and 7-9 on an error. Then, down 7-13, the Vaqueros scored three of the next four points and were as close as five at 14-19 on a Lupescu kill before the Mustangs closed the set on a 6-2 run.
The Mustangs jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the fourth set before a Santos kill sparked a 5-0 run to give the Vaqueros the lead. The Mustangs won the next three serves before a 4-1 Vaqueros run, capped by a Cruz kill, gave the Vaqueros an 11-9 lead. The Mustangs answered with a 4-1 run before back-to-back errors put the Vaqueros up 14-13. Two serves later, a Key kill tied the set at 15. The set was tied twice more, including at 17 on a Lupescu kill, but the Mustangs followed with a 7-3 run to put away the match.
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