Oct. 6, 2021 - RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros volleyball team beat the Lamar Cardinals 3-0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-9) on Saturday at the UTRGV Fieldhouse. Junior Sarah Cruz led the Vaqueros (15-9, 6-4 WAC) with 14 kills on .321 hitting and eight digs. Freshman Perris Key made her first collegiate start at middle blocker, recording six kills on .500 hitting with two aces and one block. Freshman Ingridy Foltran finished with six kills on .750 hitting. Freshman Luanna Emiliano posted her 19th double-double with 32 assists, 10 digs and three aces. Paige Dugan led the Cardinals (4-20, 0-10 WAC) with nine kills. The first set was tight early, with the Cardinals taking the first multi-point lead at 8-5. Sophomore Ioanna Charitonidi followed with a kill to spark a set-tying 3-0 run. Then, with the Cardinals up 11-10, a Key kill started a 3-0 run to give the Vaqueros their first multi-point lead at 13-11. The Cardinals got as close as 19-20 before the Vaqueros closed the set on a 5-1 run, including two kills and an ace by Cruz. The Cardinals led at the start of set two, going up 7-6. The set was also tied at 9. That’s when back-to-back Cruz kills sparked a 10-2 run to put the Vaqueros up 19-11. Then, with the score 21-14, Key came up with a kill and an ace and then Cruz recorded a kill to bring the Vaqueros to set point. Two serves later, a Cruz kill ended the set. The Vaqueros jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the third set. Then, with the score 5-3, a kill by freshman Ada Bulgur sparked a 7-1 run to put the Vaqueros up 12-4. Then, with the score 14-6, the Vaqueros went on a 7-0 run, capped by a Bulgur kill, to push the set out of reach. UTRGV is back in action on Thursday at 7 p.m. against Tarleton at the UTRGV Fieldhouse. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at UTRGVTickets.com. Those unable to attend the match in person can watch in the United States on ESPN+ or internationally on the WAC Digital Network.