With a record of 0-8, UTRGV Volleyball is off to their worst start to a season since 1992 when the team began 0-17 and finished with a 1-27 record but at the halfway mark in the 2021 season, the Vaqueros are starting to turn the corner.
Despite last week falling against Western Athletic Conference (WAC) foe Grand Canyon University in their two-game series 0-3 (11-25, 19-25, 22-25) and 0-3 (19-25, 23-25, 15-25) in Phoenix, UTRGV Head Coach Todd Lowery believes the team is starting to get hot at the right time.
“I think if you look statistically wise, finally on day two we felt like we were producing enough offense and digging enough balls that is going to allow us to win some matches,” Lowery said in a weekly news conference via Zoom. “Wins some sets without the other team playing bad.”
In a season thus far that has been highlighted by cancelations, injuries, players out of position and losses, the program’s message for this season has been to look at the bigger picture and improve on a day-to-day basis.
Lowery said he has seen improvement in how the team flows on the court as a cohesive unit to where they can really begin to cause problems for opponents.
“[We] are starting to execute just at a little higher level…we are just a little bit cleaner,” he said. “We are starting to dig balls where we were just getting digs to now, we are getting digs to the setter and [graduate] Mackenzie [Coats] is able to get hitters the ball a little bit more.”
An improvement that he believes the team felt on the court for the first time this season last Tuesday against the Antelopes.
“I think even they felt it for the first time on Tuesday, I think they really felt that was some quality volleyball that was played on Tuesday,” Lowery said. “I think the people that watched the match would echo that feeling and I know us as a staff… we left the gym with more positives than negatives.”
Although UTRGV appears to be on the rise, they will have a tough two-game series at 6 p.m. today and noon Tuesday against California Baptist University at the Fieldhouse.
After starting the season 4-0, the Lancers are currently in the midst of a five-game losing streak that has included losses to Utah Valley University, Dixie State and New Mexico State University.
For the upcoming series Lowery wants to continue to implement a new rotation the team experimented with last Tuesday where junior outside hitter Sara Cruz played in the middle position at the net citing how the rest of the court opens up as opponents focus on the all-WAC preseason selectee.
“They are either going to have to commit somebody to her which creates more space to other hitters on the pins or they are going to leave her alone and she’s going to score,” Lowery said.
With the combination of adjustments, the team seemingly turning the corner and holding a 4-0 all-time record against the Lancers since they joined the WAC in 2018, the Vaqueros could earn their first win of the season at home.
You can watch today’s match live on the WAC Digital Network at wacdigitalnetwork.com.
Twitter: @Radio_Rubio
