UTRGV outside hitter Sarah Cruz was named the Western Athletic Conference volleyball Player of the Year and a member of the All-WAC First Team, the conference announced Tuesday.
Sophomore setter Luanna Emiliano is the WAC Setter of the Year and a member of the All-WAC First Team while junior middle blocker Luisa Silva Dos Santos is a member of the All-WAC Second Team. Head coach Todd Lowery was awarded the WAC Coach of the Year as voted on by the WAC head coaches based on results during WAC play.
The Vaqueros won the WAC regular-season championship with a 13-1 conference mark.
Sarah Cruz
Cruz is averaging a WAC-leading and program single-season record 4.43 kills per set, which is 1.01 kills ahead of the next closest WAC player, on .249 hitting and 2.31 digs in 111 sets across 29 matches. Cruz has a single-season program record 492 total kills this season. A three-time WAC Offensive Player of the Week, Cruz leads the WAC in six categories, ranking fifth in the NCAA in points (562.5), sixth in kills (492), 12th in points per set (5.06), 14th in kills per set (4.43), 20th in attacks (1,188), and 51st in attacks per set (10.70).
One of three players to start every match for UTRGV, Cruz has led UTRGV in kills 24 times, digs once, and blocks five times. She’s reached double-figures in kills 24 times, including 10 matches of 20+ kills, and digs 12 times, en route to 11 double-doubles.
Luanna Emiliano
Emiliano is averaging a WAC-leading 10.74 assists, the third-highest single-season mark in program history, on a WAC-leading 1,160 assists, the fourth-highest mark, in 108 sets across 28 matches. She ranks ninth in the NCAA in assists and 24th in assists per set. She also ranks eighth in the WAC and 215th in the NCAA in digs with 345.
Emiliano has let UTRGV in assists 28 times, digs six times and blocks once. She reached double-figures in assists in all 28 matches played, including 27 matches of 20-plus assists, 26 matches of 30-plus assists, eight matches of 40-plus assists, and seven matches of 50-plus assists, including a career-high 72 against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi as part of the South Texas Showdown.
Emiliano ranks second in program history in assists per set at 10.31 and third in total assists with 2,217.
Luisa Silva Dos Santos
Santos is averaging 2.28 kills on a single-season program record hitting percentage of .337, 0.85 blocks, 0.70 digs and 0.24 aces in 111 sets across 29 matches. Santos ranks fifth in the WAC and 100th in the NCAA in hitting.
She has led UTRGV in blocks 16 times and kills twice while reaching double figures in kills 12 times.
For her career, Santos ranks third in program history in blocks per set at 0.90.
Todd Lowery
Lowery coached his team to the second WAC Championship and winningest season in program history, going 24-5. The Vaqueros are one of just 15 teams in the NCAA with at least 24 wins while ranking tied for 23rd in the winning percentage (.828).
The Vaqueros won a program record 11 straight matches to start 11-1, the program’s best start at the NCAA Division I level, while tying the NCAA Division I program record for wins in September with 11 and breaking the program records for road wins (10) and conference road wins (seven).
UTRGV is currently sporting a program record RPI of 53, the best in the WAC and 19th best among mid-majors.
The Vaqueros lead the WAC in kills (1,498), assists (1,387) and digs (1,677) while ranking 15th in the NCAA in kills, 16th in assists and 55th in digs.
Up Next
UTRGV hosts the WAC Tournament from Thursday through Saturday at the UTRGV Fieldhouse, with any UTRGV matches taking place at 7 p.m.
UTRGV, the No. 1 seed, opens the tournament Thursday against No. 8 seed Southern Utah.