Hidalgo captured its second state soccer championship, and the first for the Rio Grande Valley since 2016, with a 3-0 shutout over Palestine on Friday in the UIL Class 4A boys soccer state title match at Birkelbach Field in Georgetown, Texas. Rey Cantu was named the Most Valuable Player, scoring two goals for the Pirates in the victory.

Hidalgo won its first state title in 2009. Brownsville Porter was the most recent Valley team to capture the state crown, doing so in 2016.

Check RGVSports.com later today for a full story.

There’s a phrase the McAllen High girls soccer team uses when a player, especially a defender, sacrifices their face, head and body to stop a ball.

“You just Karla-d,” McHi head coach Patrick Arney said, referring to defender Karla Paredes. “That’s when you throw your body in front of the ball, you take one for the team, you sacrifice. We’ve seen that before over the years, but it seems like it’s happening a little more this year.

“Those are the type of intangible things that can make a difference, especially as you play better and better teams.”

That’s exactly what the Bulldogs are doing this weekend, facing arguably their toughest challenge of the season against Leander in a Region IV-5A semifinal at 10 a.m today at the Brownsville Sports Park. The second semifinal game pits McAllen Memorial against unbeaten Smithson Valley at 1 p.m. at the same location. The two winning teams will face one another Saturday for the Region IV-5A championship.

The phrase came about after Paredes, the senior defender, used her body and face as a wall to block a big McAllen Rowe shot early in the season. Now, it wouldn’t be surprising if “Karla’d” is a stat alongside goals, assists and saves.

“Defenders are the unsung heroes, and these girls get the job done,” Arney said. “The better the teams we play, the more responsibility falls on them, and I don’t think we’ve seen the speed, size, athleticism along with the soccer skills this team has. They are big, fast and aggressive.”

The eight-time defending District 31-5a champion Bulldogs have traditionally used their dominant ball control and offense as primary weapons — their first line of defense — against opponents. However, when faced with offensive stars such as McAllen Rowe’s Ayloni Garcia, Edinburg Vela’s Natalia Cortez or McAllen Memorial’s Kennedy Kaiser, the defense has had to play lights out and — for the most part — did, allowing those players just two goals during the six meetings between the top four teams in District 31-5A.

“Our defense takes pride in shutting down players like Ayloni and Natalia and Kennedy,” Arney said. “The whole team takes pride in that.”

Paredes is part of an aggressive defense that includes fellow senior Amber Ramirez, junior Emma Wilkins and sophomores Maisen Dubrule and Emma Lopez. Sophomore goalkeeper Allison Tawil backs up as the last line of defense for a team that gave up the second-fewest goals in a district loaded with scorers.

“Every part of our team is offense, and every part of the team is defense,” Dubrule said. “It’s not just the three of us in the back, but it’s everyone behind the ball talking to each other and everyone in front of us talking as well. Our defense is the first line of offense.”

Paredes recalls standing in goal at Sharyland during a corner kick. The ball rattled around in the box before one player blasted a shot. Paredes was there to stop it — with her body.

“It got me straight in the chest,” Paredes recalled. “Before this season, I didn’t have a lot of experience at the varsity level, and it was a bit terrifying at first and there was such a high level of forwards and players in the Valley this year.

“Defense is about being able to get control of the ball, get control of yourself, look up and make the right decision in the moment.”

This is the third straight trip for the Bulldogs to the Sweet 16. They are also the only Valley girls program to advance to the state tournament, doing so in 2018.

“Look at who we lost last year, but the girls have stepped up,” Arney said. “We moved Maisen back from midfield, and she has been doing a fantastic job and may be our most improved player. I have to give those girls credit.

“We will have to make our own luck (on Friday) and hope a couple bounces go our way,” Arney said. “ We need to take care of simple saves, forwards need to put the ball away when they get the chance, and we have to come up with something spectacular here or there and, hopefully, something good will happen.”

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McALLEN — McAllen Memorial’s Alicia Ziegler has cleared a lot of hurdles this year — and that’s literally speaking.

The senior speedster/leaper is among the top hurdlers not just in District 31-5A, but in the Valley and Region 5-4A. She will face her stiffest competition to date as the top runners across the Valley will compete today and Saturday in the Meet of Champions.

The Meet of Champions is the RGV’s measuring point for the Valley’s track and field athletes, with nearly 70 schools from across the area set to compete.

The two-day event begins today with the prelims held at six different locations. The sub-5A/private school boys meet is set to be held at La Villa, with the girls at Hidalgo.

Class 5A boys will compete at Richard Thompson Stadium in Mission. The girls will be at PSJA Stadium in Pharr.

Tom Landry Stadium plays host to the Class 6A boys, with La Joya ISD Pack Stadium the home of the 6A girls prelims.

A total of 16 athletes from each event advance to Saturday’s finals at Boggus Stadium in Harlingen, with five coming from 6A, seven from 5A and four from the sub-5A/private school level.

Ziegler, a middle blocker — she obviously has hops — for the Mustangs’ volleyball team, has the second fastest 100-meter hurdles time in Region 5-4A at 15.24 seconds, only behind McAllen High sophomore Dariana Luna (15.03 seconds). Ziegler’s third in the region and tops in the Valley in the 300 hurdles at 46.38. There are just five sub-16 times in the region in the 100 hurdles and four sub 47s in the 300 hurdles.

Both of her personal-best times came during the Mission Invitational on Feb. 24. She accomplished her prior best time of 15.49 at the PSJA North Winter relays three weeks earlier. She destroyed her previous best time of 47.37, also at the PSJA North event, by nearly a second in the 300 that same day.

That day was crazy, honestly,” Ziegler said. “Some days I feel like something like that could happen, but that wasn’t one of them. I was overwhelmed and wasn’t prepared. I didn’t even get a chance to warm up. It was very unexpected, but it made sense because of my training.”

Ziegler is a perfect 7-for-7, capturing first place in both hurdles at each event this season. She and Luna actually tied for first at the McAllen ISD Invitational in 15.62 seconds, pushing one another 1.5 seconds ahead of the next finisher.

“We were both surprised, and it was very exciting to see the outcome,” said Ziegler, adding that the two hurdlers will train together at times and have an equal admiration for one another. “It’s good to have someone to push you, and that’s her for me.”

In the short term — as in for this weekend at the Meet of Champions — Ziegler’s goal in the 100 is to break the 15-second mark.

“There’s no bad blood — when we both run,” Ziegler said. “Every time I run against her, I’m thankful she’s there for us to push each other. She has excellent form and we complement each other, so it’s very, very fun.

“I think together we’ll both break 15. I just need to do my own thing and trust what I have.”

The two hurdles require different approaches. Ziegler said working on her technical form is key in the 100, especially when a tenth of a second can make a major difference in a shorter race.

“Snapping down quicker or being quick in between hurdles can help improve the time,” Ziegler said. “You have to stay focused because sometimes you can actually feel the person next to you because the hurdles are so close.

“For the 300, decreasing the number of steps between hurdles is huge. Fewer strides means you will beat her.”

Olympian and top collegiate hurdlers will take 15 strides in between hurdles, using longer strides and letting their momentum carry them in one smooth motion over each barrier. Ziegler is currently between 16 and 17 strides.

Another key is not doubting during the race.

“Momentum and longer strides will take you,” Ziegler said. “A lot of girls see the hurdle and either doubt themselves or take an extra step. It has to be one fluid moment. You’re just running — that’s what I try to think about and visualize the race ahead of time and stay concentrated on my own lane.”

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EDINBURG — The season – rather, the postseason, could come down to the next five games for the RGV Vipers.

The defending NBA G League squad champions are in ninth place with a 10-12 record and nine games remaining. They are three games out of sixth place, the final position to become eligible for the postseason. However, the next five teams they play have a combined 36-82 record (.299 winning percentage) and that string begins tonight at Oklahoma City (9-15, 11th place in Western Conference).

“It’s going to be a sprint,” head coach Kevin Burleson said last week. “But I think it’s going to be good. I’m always optimistic. We know what we have to do and we have to prepare for it.”

The Vipers have a 1-3 record since their third-place finish in the FIBA International Cup in Spain, during the NBA’s all-star weekend. They were swept by South Bay, defeated the Texas Legends then fell 109-100 to Long Island, which at 20-3 holds the best record in the G League.

“We had to come back ready to play,” Burleson said. “Finishing that trip with a win is always good. No matter what league you’re in, you have to put your best foot forward and I think we can take that momentum going into the final games.”

Following tonight’s game, the Vipers travel to Birmingham. The Squadron are 6-18 (.250), the worst record in the G League. Following that game, the Vipers return home to Bert Ogden Arena to play Greensboro (8-15) on March 8 and Iowa (6-17) twice on March 9 and 11.

Those games are especially critical because the Vipers final four regular-season games are against the top team in the Western Conference Memphis (17-5) on March 17 on the road, Santa Cruz (12-10 in seventh place) at home March 21 and March 23, then the regular-season finale at home against Long Island.

Darius Days and Trevor Hudgins have returned, recently on assignment with the NBA’s Houston Rockets, the parent team for the Vipers. Days is fourth in the G League in scoring, averaging 23.7 points per game to go with 8.9 rebounds. He’s shooting 48% from the floor. Hudgins averages 19.1 points per contest, is second in the league in 3-pointers made with 85 and dishes 5.4 assists per game.

EDINBURG — The Edinburg Economedes Jaguars sit on top of the District 31-6A mountain after a convincing 4-0 win over Edinburg High on the road Tuesday night.

The win solidified Econ’s grip at the top of the district, improving the Jaguars to 5-0-2 and 18 points with three matches remaining. Edinburg High falls to 4-2-1 with 14 points.

Econ scored once in the first half with the strong wind at its back, then scored three times into the wind, tearing up the right side of Edinburg’s defense and scoring from that side of the field each time.

“I told the girls that with their defense they have gaps out there, so when we have the outside we crossed it,” Econ first-year head coach Kristie Jarquin said. “We knew this would be a physical game and they might be verbal, so the key was to play the game we play.”

Jacqueline Maldonado scored the game’s first two goals, ripping a one-time shot on a line drive with 7:31 remaining in the first half. Maldonado took the ball out of mid-air, then fired it for the lead.

“We take a lot of time during practice with crosses in the air and on the ground, trying to prepare for the unpredictable,” Jarquin said. “You don’t always get a perfect pass.”

Maldonado used her speed to score the second goal, screaming up the sideline, cutting in and letting a shot go from a wide angle that was dead on target with 32:59 remaining during the second half. Maldonado leads District 31-6A with eight goals during district play.

That goal took a lot of momentum from a Bobcats squad that was beaten by Econ’s speed and physicality. Stephanie Moreno scored to make it 3-0, also attacking the outside at the 22:32 mark. She added the Jaguars’ fourth goal, her second, with less than eight minutes remaining.

“This was definitely a big win, and we needed that to have a little bit of space (in the standings),” Jarquin said. “But we’re not going to let up and we’re going to finish strong as if we are in last place.”

Joselin Maldonado, Jacqueline’s sister, wasn’t pressured much throughout the game but made some impressive saves as Edinburg took shots up high to no avail.

“She comes from volleyball, and I told her if she can set it high in front of the net she’d be good,” Jarquin said. “She reads the ball well and she has been an amazing keeper.”

Econ has allowed just three goals in district play.

Econ has remaining games against Mission High and La Joya High at home before its regular-season finale at Edinburg North.

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Girls district soccer scores from Jan. 24/25, 2023

District 30-5A

Monday’s Game

Mission Veterans 5, Laredo Cigarroa 0

Tuesday’s Games

Laredo Martin 8, La Joya Palmview 0

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 4, Roma 0

Laredo Nixon 7, Rio Grande City 0

District 31-5A

McAllen Memorial 1. Sharyland High 0

McAllen High 5, Sharyland Pioneer 1

Edinburg Vela 9, Valley View 0

PSJA North 5, PSJA Memorial 0

McAllen Rowe 11, PSJA Southwest 0

District 32-5A

Donna North 5, Weslaco East 0

Brownsville Veterans 3, Donna High 2

Brownsville Porter 5, Brownsville Pace 0

Brownsville Lopez 3, Mercedes 0

Harlingen South 2, Edcouch-Elsa 2, (South wins in PKs)

District 30-4A

Hidalgo 13, IDEA Pharr 0

Vanguard Edinburg 1, Grulla 0

Zapata 2, Vanguard Pharr 1

IDEA North Mission 14, Vanguard Mozart 0

District 31-4A

IDEA Edinburg 3, Lyford 0

IDEA Alamo 3, Progreso 1

Raymondville 5, IDEA Pike 0

SCORE BOXES

District 30-5A

Mission Veterans 5, Laredo Cigarroa 0

Mission Veterans: Mia Sanchez 4, Own Goal

Cigarroa: None

Mission Veterans 1-0, Cigarroa 0-1

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 4, Roma 0

Juarez-Lincoln: Ayling Rocha 2, Samantha Jiminez, Daniela Castillo

Roma: None

Juarez-Lincoln 1-0, Roma 0-1

Laredo Martin 8, La Joya Palmview 0

Martin: Jazlyn Castillo 3, Katherine Delgadillo 2, Dalia Ibarra, Sofia Arteaga, Nadia Cortez

Palmview: None

Laredo Martin 1-0, La Joya Palmview 0-1

District 31-5A

McAllen Memorial 1, Sharyland High 0

Memorial: Sofia Alaniz-Choy

Sharyland: None

McAllen Memorial 2-2, Sharyland High 2-2

Edinburg Vela 9, Valley View 0

Vela: Natalia Cortez 2, Alayna Rodriguez 2, Victoria Cardenas 2, Nayla Peña, Crystal Palma, Eva Monty

Valley View: None

Vela 4-0, Valley View 0-4

PSJA North 5 PSJA Memorial 0

PSJA North: Estrella Nieto 2, Sydney Gonzalez, Gissele Leyva, Kassandra Garza

Memorial: None

PSJA North 1-2-1, PSJA Memorial 1-3

McAllen Rowe 11, PSJA Southwest 0

Rowe: Ayloni Garcia 5, Mia Mata 2, Genesis Valencia, Camila Gil, Anayanzi Moreno, Leila Sosa

Southwest: None

McAllen Rowe 4-0, PSJA Southwest 1-3

McAllen High 5, Sharyland Pioneer 1

McHi: Julianna Millin 2, Savannah Ruiz 2, Milan Diaz

Pioneer: Arlette Martinez

McHi 3-1, Pioneer 1-2-1

District 32-5A

Brownsville Veterans 3, Donna High 2

Veterans: Leah Rodriguez, Bel Montelongo, Angela Garcia

Donna High: Nydia Selvera, Xochitl Santos

Brownsville Veterans 3-1, Donna High 1-3

Donna North 5, Weslaco East 0

Donna North: Sherlyn Iturbe 3, Jitzel Treviñ0, Rubi Mercado

Weslaco East: None

Donna North 4-0, Weslaco East 0-4

Harlingen South 2, Edcouch-Elsa 2 (South wins in PKs)

South: Damaris Solis 2

Edcouch: Emily Lopez, Sophia Ramos

Harlingen South 3-0-1, Edcouch-Elsa 2-1-1

Brownsville Porter 5, Brownsville Pace 0

Porter: Edna Rodriguez 2, Wendy Medina, Gianna Aviles, Ashanti Roman

Pace: None

Brownsville Porter 3-1, Brownsville Pace 0-4

Brownsville Lopez 3, Mercedes 0

Lopez: Becky Zuniga, Ashly Gonzale, Angie Martinez

Mercedes: None

Brownsville Lopez 3-1, Mercedes 0-4

EDITOR’S NOTE: LEADERS RANKED BASED ON GOALS SCORED DURING DISTRICT PLAY ONLY.

RGV HS GIRLS DISTRICT SOCCER SCORING LEADERS

District 31-5A

Player	School	GP	G
Alayna Rodriguez	Edinburg Vela	3	8
Natalia Cortez	Edinburg Vela	3	8
Milan Diaz	McAllen High	3	5
Julianna Millin	McAllen High	3	5
Ayloni Garcia	McAllen Rowe	3	5
Sofia Alaniz-Choy	McAllen Memorial	3	3
Camila Gil	McAllen Rowe	3	3
Yhoalibeth Alvarez	Sharyland High	3	3
Arlette Martinez	Sharyland Pioneer	3	3
Analisa Ale	Sharyland Pioneer	3	3
Nayla Peña	Edinburg Vela	3	2
Mia Mata	McAllen Rowe	3	2
Allison Fanning	Sharyland Pioneer	3	2
Twenty tied with 1

District 32-5A

Player	School	GP	G
Jesenia Ibarra	Donna High	3	4
Emily Lopez	Edcouch-Elsa	3	4
Becky Zuniga	Brownsville Lopez	3	4
Angie Martinez	Brownsville Lopez	3	4
Aliyah Fonseca	Harlingen South	3	4
Vanessa Delgado	Harlingen South	3	3
Angelina Medina	Brownsville Veterans	3	3
Isla Echevarria	Donna High	3	2
Lizzett Castro	Donna North	3	2
Leila Barco	Edcouch-Elsa	3	2
Wendy Medina	Brownsville Porter	3	2
Edna Rodriguez	Brownsville Porter	3	2
Ashanti Roman	Brownsville Porter	3	2
Angela Garcia	Brownsville Veterans	3	2
Cecilia Hernandez	Harlingen South	3	2
Alexis Fonseca	Harlingen South	3	2
Kayren Vasquez	Harlingen South	3	2
Twelve tied with 1

*Email [email protected] with scores, stats and schedule updates*

PHARR — It’s been an uphill climb for the wrestling program at Valley View High School.

The program began in 2017 but before it could develop, COVID-19 struck and put wrestling – and everything – into a standstill.

“What made things tougher is that we weren’t allowed to recruit our kids during COVID,” head coach Crystal Franz said. We graduated most of our kids in 2019 and only had three come back.”

But when with wrestlers, an athlete with a completely different mindset than most others, the tougher the challenge, the more brutal the obstacle in the way, the greater the desire – the obsession — is to overcome. That, they’re doing. The most common phrase in high school wrestling hotbeds across the country is that “they’re of a different breed.”

“If you don’t enjoy the process, you won’t be part of the success,” Franz said.

With a background in jiujitsu and muay thai, and a relentless desire to create a successful program, Franz has continued to build the Tigers’ wrestling program. Recently, the school hosted its first wrestling tournament. The girls finished sixth out of 11 teams while the boys captured seventh of 13 squads.

The event gave the Tigers a chance to wrestle at home and gain experience. But that tournament was to help battle another obstacle, finances.

“It was for our kids really, to raise money,” Franz said. “We want to get them warm-ups before district. Donna North has helped us out with some headgear but those are tearing now and parents are upset that some of the gear we have is five-to-six years old. We’re hoping to get warm-ups before the district tournament.”

But there’s no rest between now and then. Franz’s workouts are tough to say the least, consisting of upward of 300 burpees (that was during the preseason) and other torments in a seemingly never-ending routine. It just fits in with the “different breed” statement.

“I think the kids are proud of that sort of stuff. They talk sometimes about how they are all misfits but together they fit,” said Franz, a Hidalgo graduate. “Lot of kids have come out to try – but a warmup is hard.

“Most people don’t make it past the warmup. I tell them it’s OK, it’s not for everybody. You have to have “it” in you to enjoy the work.”

The “it” factor seems to be roaming the Valley View school district halls. Last year, Valley View, Sharyland High, Sharyland Pioneer and Edcouch-Elsa all started a junior high program. Franz said she had 32 wrestlers come out and “most of them came back this year. That’s how I’m able to carry 13 freshmen right now.”

One of those freshmen, Yaritzi Prado, captured second at their tournament, falling in the finals to a standout Edinburg Economedes wrestler, senior Elisami Salinas with a 25-3 record at the 138-pound weight class. Sophomore Delia Tolston won the 114-pound division while junior Learsey Escamilla and senior Mia Diaz both took second place at 165 and 235, respectively.

On the boys side, freshman Luis Martinez took third at 106, sophomore Diego Padilla also took third at 126, junior Ronald Martinez was fourth at 132 and senior Enrique Rodriguez-Vicencio captured fourth at 175. Rio Grande City won the boys team event with a 151-146 advantage over Economedes.

Diaz, who fell to 18-0 Yvette Rojas of La Joya Palmview, was coming off a big tournament victory in Corpus Christi.

“It gave me a lot of confidence winning in Corpus,” said Diaz, who qualified for regionals last year. “That was my first time winning a tournament. It felt really good.”

“She was so used to taking home third and thinking she didn’t belong in the top tier,” Franz said. “In Corpus she beat some kids who were quite taller and having done this for a longer time.

“I tell the kids to do their best and have fun while doing it,” Franz said. “Ultimately it’s all that matters – no regrets, no, ‘I could’ve done this.’ I don’t like them having those what ifs.”

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EDINBURG — Willie Cauley-Stein had a huge smile on his face after the first day of RGV Vipers training camp.

“The energy was crazy, and I called my wife and was telling my boys and I was lit up and smiling,” Cauley-Stein said during the Vipers’ media day Monday. “They were like, ‘We haven’t see that (smile) in a while.’ I told them it’s different down here. It’s business but it’s more basketball than business.”

Cauley-Stein was the No. 6 picks by the Sacramento Kings during the 2015 NBA Draft out of Kentucky. The 7-footer has played 422 NBA games, starting in 256. He played four seasons with Sacramento, three with Dallas and one each with Golden State and Philadelphia (albeit just for two games).

His best years statistically came during a two-season span from 2017-19 when he averaged 12.3 points (52.8% FG), 7.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.8 blocks in 27.6 minutes per game.

Now he’s in the G League working his way back. He brings an abundance of talent and even more experience that can help the younger players attain their career goals.

“I come to work every day. It doesn’t matter if it’s the NBA or the G League. I come to work with a good attitude and try to get better,” he said. “It doesn’t matter where I get better — here or in the parking lot or a dust bowl, it doesn’t better. I just want to get better and elevate myself to another level and be better than yesterday.

“I’m the first one here in the morning. I’m the last one to leave late. That’s what the League is about, so if you have aspirations of playing in that, you can’t be the first one out, or not get shots after practice and you can’t not warm up before practice. That’s what separates the League from the NBA — all the little ‘get betters.’”

The four-time NBA G League champions have a style of basketball that Cauley-Stein said “is a lot different that everybody else plays” and he’s focusing his efforts toward being a key contributor within that offensive system.

“Scrap everything you’ve heard about me, and everything you think my skill level is, and let me gel with what you’re already doing,” Cauley-Stein said about his mentally thus far with the team. “I’m learning how to integrate into that to fit in, so when I step on the court, it’s no different than what they’re used to playing. Don’t change it, but let the skill level develop so the other four guys on the floor aren’t feeling different than what it has been.

“I stay after practice trying to learn the triple drive and do little things like that to really get involved in the offense to help make it more cohesive.”

The Vipers open the season at 6 p.m. Sunday at the Mexico City Capitanes. They play their home opener at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11, against Birmingham at Bert Ogden Arena in Edinburg. There will be a presentation that day as the Vipers will be given their G League championship rings.

Cauley-Stein, who has been featured online and in publications for the plethora of tattoos he wears, said fans should expect some face-paced basketball, no different than what the Vipers have been known for en route to those four championship rings, last year’s being the most recent.

“I move better than most bigs. I can handle it better than most bigs and I can shoot better than most bigs so we have to take advantage of that,” he said. “Expect us to play really fast with tight, aggressive defense.

“From the time I got here, the raw energy these guys have is different than anything I’ve been a part of in the league — there’s a hunger here in the G League. The high energy is amazing to be around. It’s refreshing. It’s so in abundance, I don’t know if we know where to put it yet. This team is all go. Put that into the details of basketball and I think the sky is the limit for where we can take this team.”

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EDINBURG — Luanna Emiliano is not a magician. She just plays one on the UTRGV volleyball court.

The 5-foot-7 sophomore from Belo Horizonte, Brazil, was “doing her thing” once again Saturday with her bag of tricks, setting balls to perfection from all over the court, sacrificing her body to keep a rally going, and even using her cunning sleight of hand to keep blockers and defenders off balance. Along the way, she also collected her 2,000th career assist as the Vaqueros bounced back from a Thursday loss to dominate UT Arlington 25-8, 26-24, 25-17 at the UTRGV Fieldhouse.

The win keeps UTRGV atop the Western Athletic Conference, tied with Utah Valley with 9-1 conference records. The Vaqueros improved to 20-5 overall while UTA fell to 7-4 in the conference and 15-8 overall.

The Vaqueros played what head coach Todd Lowery called the most complete game in a while, especially coming off a poor performance in a four-set loss to Stephen F. Austin on Thursday that dropped UTRGV into that first-place tie.

“They handled it, to be honest with you, completely how I expected them to,” Lowery said about bouncing back from Thursday’s match. “The girls came in yesterday morning and there was a little bit of a long face, but it wasn’t a ‘poor me long face’ it was a ‘yeah, we did this to ourselves’ kind of face and what are we going to do about it.”

UTRGV has four conference matches left, including what could be the battle for the WAC championship at 2 p.m. Nov. 5 at Utah Valley.

Emiliano again was the engine that ran the Vaqueros’ motor, leading the team with 36 assists and tying for the team lead in digs (9) and block assists (2), also adding one kill.

Her 2,000th assist came early in the first set. Facing the net, she jumped — giving the illusion that she was going to attack. The blockers bit and Emiliano deftly set a quick ball to middle hitter Luisa Silva do Santos, who delivered a definitive kill.

Emiliano has 2,032 career assists. The all-time leader is Chelsea Blakely with 3,905, who played from 2005-08.

“I don’t think about the numbers. They’re just numbers,” Emiliano said. “I want to give them all a good ball and try to feel the moment and give the perfect ball. I feel so good here at home, We played hard and took care of the easy stuff.”

Sarah Cruz benefited the most from Emiliano’s silky touch with a match-high 14 kills. Perris Key added 10 and Claudia Lupescu contributed nine. The Vaqueros racked up 50 kills and UTA tallied 29.

“She’s just amazing,” Key said. “I always know they are going to be where they need to be. I have a lot of trust in her to run the offense. She gets to everything. Even in practice, some of the balls she gets I’m, like, ‘What in the world?’”

“And if they don’t go, I get mad,” Emiliano joked.

During Thursday’s match, the SFA radio broadcaster often marveled and commented on Emiliano’s performance. Lowery said that’s a common reaction from a lot of people.

“The thing about Luanna is that people who don’t see us often don’t understand how special she is,” Lowery said. “To have 2,000 assists already just halfway through her sophomore year is a phenomenal number.

“She’s grown a lot since last year, not so much physically or more capable, but just by becoming comfortable here in the U.S. You watch her play and it’s easy to forget she showed up here as an 18-year-old, fresh out of high school because of the way she carries herself and the way she commands the court.”

UTRGV plays Thursday at Seattle before the showdown Saturday at Utah Valley. The Vaqueros return home for their final two regular-season matches at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 10 against Abilene Christian and 2 p.m., Nov. 12 against Tarleton.

The Vaqueros then host the WAC Tournament from Nov. 17-19 at the UTRGV Fieldhouse.

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