The UTRGV volleyball team traveled on Sep 21. to Arlington, Texas to start their Western Athletic Conference (WAC) against the UT Arlington Mavericks.
The Vaqueros are starting their conference play with a 6-7 record. Assistant Coach Mayda Garcia talks about what they have been instilling in the team during the preseason games.
“Obviously we went on to Montana and [on the] first weekend we played some power five schools,” Garcia said. “I know a lot of what we had talked about during preseason was focusing on defense and being the best defensive team in the WAC. That way we can make everything easier and transition easier throughout the game.”
Kicking off the conference the Vaqueros will play strong teams, like UT Arlington that has a record of 11-2 and Stephen F. Austin University with a record of 11-3.
Head Coach Todd Lowery shared some insights of the team’s preparations for the conference.
“We got to go out, and do our work against UTA first and that’s just our goal in conference is to take one game at a time,” Lowery said. “This week’s practice has just been talking about UTA first and what we need to do against them to be successful, but it really goes back to playing good defense.”
Sophomore setter Natalie Reyes is going into her second season with the Vaqueros. She has been a key player for the team in strong matches.. She explained her expectations for herself and for the season.
“My expectations are high for myself,” She said. “I just really want to go in there and change the momentum of the game. That’s my mindset going in.”
The Vaqueros secured the win against the Mavericks with a set score 3-1. Leading the team in points was junior outside hitter Perris Key.
The vaqueros will return to the UTRGV Fieldhouse Thursday Sep 28. at 6:30 p.m. as they take on the Southern Utah Thunderbirds.
