UTRGV took over sole possession of first place with a 25-23, 24-26, 25-16, 25-19 victory Saturday against Utah Valley in a battle of two teams going into the match tied for first in the Western Athletic Conference at the Lockhart Arena in Orem, Utah
UTRGV (22-5, 11-1 WAC) is one match ahead of Utah Valley (16-8, 10-2 WAC) and two ahead of Stephen F. Austin (9-3 WAC), which was swept at UT Arlington on Saturday.
The Vaqueros will have an opportunity to clinch a share of the WAC Championship and the number one seed in the WAC Tournament at 6:30 p.m. Thursday when they host Abilene Christian at the UTRGV Fieldhouse. If the Vaqueros win, they will be assured of the number-one seed by virtue of the head-to-head tiebreaker with Utah Valley when UTRGV hosts the WAC Tournament Nov. 17-19 at the UTRGV Fieldhouse.
UTRGV is now one of only seven 22-win teams in the NCAA, along with South Dakota (24-2), Western Kentucky (24-2), Towson (23-1), Houston (23-2), Pittsburgh (23-2), and Wright State (24-3).
The Vaqueros are tied for the winningest season in program history with the 2018 WAC Championship team that finished 22-9. The Vaqueros are off to their best 12-match conference start in program history, two matches ahead of the 2018 and 2017 teams that were 9-3.
With the win, the Vaqueros break the program records for road wins (10) and conference road wins (seven), finishing undefeated on the road in conference play for the first time. The previous records were nine total road wins and six WAC road wins in 2018.
Junior Luisa Silva Dos Santos led the Vaqueros with 10 kills on an error-free .556 hitting, a career-high six aces and seven blocks. Sophomore Luanna Emiliano posted her 18th double-double with 45 assists,15 digs, a career-high six aces and three blocks. Graduate student Sarah Cruz recorded a match-high 15 kills with nine digs and four blocks. Sophomore Claudia Lupescu posted 12 kills on .435 hitting. Sophomore Margherita Giani recorded six kills with seven blocks and one ace.
The Vaqueros served a season-high 14 aces, the program’s highest total since Sept. 14, 2012, when the team served 14 aces against Texas Southern.