EDINBURG, Texas – The Purple and White face defeat after a hard-fought battle against the No. 3 team in conference.
The Vaqueros claimed the first set 25-17. The Texans stole the next set, 25-13. An incredibly competitive third set ended at 30-28 in favor of the home team. The fourth set saw a 25-22 final to close the match, 3-1 for UTRGV.
Tarleton State is now 15-14 overall and 6-9 in conference after a tough loss to the Vaqueros.
Rajini Fitzmaurice led the Texans with 17 kills.
Emma Burke compiled 11 and
Grayson Schirpik added nine.
Megan Hodges tallied 28 assists for the match while
Melina Maldonado Ortiz had 18. Maldonado Ortiz, Burke and Hodges each contributed aces for Tarleton State.
Fitzmaurice and
Madison Frank led the team with four blocks each, Burke tallied three for the Texans.
Matti Theurer amassed 14 digs, followed by 11 from
Kenzie Kellerman and eight from Fitzmaurice.
The first frame opened with six ties to see a 7-7 score. A five-score run from the home team came to an end after a kill from Schirpik. The Vaqueros led for the majority of the set but a kill from Fitzmaurice started a 4-0 run for the Texans to close the gap. Three consecutive kills from UTRGV closed out the set at 25-17.
Set two saw the visitors come alive after a kill from McDonough put the Texans on the board. The second stanza saw eight ties and four lead changes. An error from the Vaqueros tallied the final tying point of the set and began an 8-0 run for the Purple and White. Another six-score run saw the Texans up by 12 at 24-12. Fitzmaurice laid down a kill to see Tarleton State snatch the set two, 25-13.
The third set was an incredible battle by both teams. After a tie at point six, four consecutive points from the Texans saw the home team down by four. A kill from Fitzmaurice tallied point 18 for Tarleton State but the Vaqueros came from behind to take the lead with a 5-0 run. At the 24th point for UTRGV, Schirpik and Fitzmaurice kept the set alive to tie at 24. The next four points saw ties to keep the crowd on the edge of their seat. With two final points from the home team, set three saw an incredible, 30-28 final.
In the final stanza, the Texans claimed the first three points before UTRGV saw one on the board. The Purple and White led the majority of the set until the Vaqueros tied the set at 15-15. The next four points remained tied, but at the 19th point, UTRGV took the lead. The visitors retied the set at point 22, but three consecutive kills from the Vaqueros sealed the deal for the home team at 25-22.
Tarleton State Volleyball will continue their travels and conclude their regular season play in Abilene on Monday at 6 p.m. The match between the Texans and the Wildcats can be found on ESPN+.
