PHOENIX, ARIZONA – The University of the Incarnate Word volleyball team dropped a pair of four-set matches on Friday to New Jersey Institute of Technology and Grand Canyon University on the first day of the GCU Invitational.
The Cardinals (10-22) lost to NJIT 21-25, 27-25, 25-17, 25-19. The Cardinals got off to a great start in the first set with their best attack percentage of the match, .310, and a 25-21 win.
The second set was the crucial momentum swinger. It was an evenly played set with both teams going back-and-forth with the lead. The lead changed hands eight times and the score was tied on 13 different occasions. The Cardinals were one point away from taking the second set after a kill from
Angelique Vidaurri (San Antonio/Southwest HS) gave UIW a 25-24 lead. The Highlanders won the next three points to take the set.
The Cardinals could not seem to overcome that loss. The third and fourth sets were all in favor of the Highlanders. UIW only held a lead twice throughout the remainder of the match. NJIT hit .310 and .286, respectively while holding the Cardinals to hitting under .073 in both sets.
Both
Brittani Dear (La Vernia/La Vernia HS) and
Shaina Garza (San Antonio/Warren HS) recorded double-doubles for UIW. Dear totaled 10 kills and 12 digs while Garza had 10 kills and 10 digs. Vidaurri led the Cardinals with 14 kills and
Madison Williams (New Braunfels/ Canyon HS) had 28 assists.
Jordan Reifsteck (Allen/Oswego East HS) added 14 digs and
Meaghan Patterson (Helotes/ O'Connor HS) had a team-high four blocks.
Danica Vukotic led the Highlanders (12-20) with a match-high 16 kills while hitting .343 for the match. She added 13 digs to complete a double-double. Alyssa Armada totaled 44 assists and Camila Tinari had 15 digs to lead NJIT.
In the second match of the day, the Cardinals lost 25-19, 25-19, 24-26, 25-13 to the Antelopes (19-11). Vidaurri pounded out 22 kills for UIW, but she was the only one on the team with at least 10 kills in the match.
The Lopes took control of the first set with a 5-1 run to make it 10-5. They held a five-point lead for most of the set and took advantage of seven UIW attack errors.
In the second set, the Cardinals led 14-10 before the Lopes stormed back. GCU scored five consecutive points to take a 15-14 lead. After ties at 15-15 and 16-16, the Lopes reeled off six straight points to over the set. Kills by Shannon Dugan and Gracie Dimond finished off the set.
The Cardinals got back in the match in the third set. They trailed 19-14 when they responded with a 10-3 run to take a 24-22 lead. The Lopes were able to tie the set at 24-24, but then a kill by Vidaurri and a block by Patterson gave the set to the Cardinals.
The momentum was short lived for UIW as the Lopes opened the fourth set with a 6-2 lead and never trailed. A 4-0 run and a 5-0 run gave GCU firm control of the set and the match.
The Cardinals had one more kill than the Lopes, but also had 15 more attack errors. Vidaurri posted a .268 attack with eight digs and two service aces in addition to her 22 kills.
Bryaunea Hall (Copperas Cove/Copperas Cove HS) had nine kills and a .389 attack while Dear led the team with 19 digs.
Kaitlyn Brooks (Sugar Land/Fort Bend Austin HS) had a double-double with 22 assists and 14 digs.
The Lopes had 52 kills, 71 digs, 12.0 blocks and a .229 attack. Dugan had 18 kills, 18 digs, six blocks and a .255 attack. Michelle Steagall dished out 44 assists.
The Cardinals close out their season on Saturday with a 12:30 p.m. match against Omaha and a 5:30 p.m. match against UMass-Lowell at GCU's Antelope Gym.
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