For Immediate Release: Friday, September 6, 2002
Contact: Dave Geringer, UTPA Director of Athletic Media Relations, (956) 381-2240

LADY BRONCS EDGED BY TENNESSEE TECH

CINCINNATI,OH-Seven points made all the difference in The University of Texas-Pan American’s first round volleyball match against Tennessee Tech at Xavier University’s Cintas Center Friday evening.

The Lady Broncs made it an extremely close match, but a succumbed to the Golden Eagles, 30-27, 32-30 and 31-29.

“They came out very aggressive against us and got the lead, but we fought back, and matched them point for point,” said UTPA Head Coach Dave Thorn. “We were resilient, but we just came up a little bit short at the end. They had the edge in hitting and blocking, and although we had more aces and more digs, they had more kills and more blocks, and that proved to be the difference in the match. We played hard, but we just have to cut down on our mistakes. You can see that we’re improving with each match.”

Junior outside hitter Winker Cruz (Harlingen, TX/Harlingen South HS) led the Lady Broncs with a .393 hitting percentage, 11 kills and 18 digs. Junior outside hitter Jaclyn Muszynski (Walnut, CA/Walnut HS) added 14 kills and 15 digs, while junior Jena Rae Rosales (McAllen, TX/McAllen HS) added 15 digs. Maggie Stern led Tennessee Tech with 22 kills, Laura Sidorowicz added 12, and Annette Kupka had 10.

The Lady Broncs fell to 0-4 with the defeat, while TTU improved to 1-3. UTPA will play host Xavier and Florida International Saturday.

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