UTRGV made quick work of the Penn Quakers on Friday at Sharp Gym, earning a 25-13, 25-16, 25-18 victory and showcasing the depth on the roster to open the Molly Howard-Gerwig Memorial volleyball tournament.
UTRGV (2-2) had 10 Vaqueros record at least one kill and saw three made their season debuts. Freshmen Roslyn Guerra and Harlingen High alum Julianna Bryant saw their first collegiate action, with Guerra recording one kill and one ace and Bryant assisting on a block.
Junior right side Perris Key led the Vaqueros with eight kills on .462 hitting and had six digs, two aces and 2.5 total blocks. Senior middle blocker Luisa Silva Dos Santos tallied seven kills on .600 hitting with three total blocks. Junior setter Luanna Emiliano had 26 assists and five digs, and junior libero Kiaraliz Perez notched 12 digs, three assists, two aces and her first kill of the season.
The Vaqueros used some errors from Penn and four quick kills from freshman outside hitter Nadine Zech to quickly take control of the match in the opening frame. The Quakers were held to a -.083 hitting percentage in the first set while UTRGV hit .400 and had five blocks to Penn’s zero to handily take the first set, 25-13.
Penn found a bit of rhythm late in the second set, stringing together four unanswered points after falling behind 20-7 following Bryant’s first career block, assisted by Key.
UTRGV passed well throughout the match and was especially aggressive at the service line, tallying eight aces. The pin hitters were solid setting the block to aid a season-high 11 total blocks in the match. UTRGV also tabbed a season-high .412 team hitting percentage in the victory while holding Penn to a .039 clip.
UTRGV wraps up the tournament Saturday with a 10 a.m. match against the hosting Houston Christian Huskies and a 3 p.m. match against Prairie View A&M.
