United Athletic Conference

Following the first full week of nonconference play during the 2022 volleyball season, Stephen F. Austin rose to the top of the WAC standings with a perfect 4-0 record. The Ladyjacks have defeated each of their first four opponents by matching 3-1 final scores, most recently besting North Texas on Aug. 30. Tarleton and UTRGV were each tied for the second position in the conference with matching 3-1 records after the opening week.

 

After being idle during the official opening wave of play to start the 2022 campaign, Seattle U will compete in its first matches of the new season during the upcoming week. The Redhawks are scheduled to travel to Fresno State to take on the host Fresno State (Sept. 2), San Francisco (Sept. 2) and Louisiana Tech (Sept. 3) in tournament play to begin their year.

 

UTRGV senior outside hitter Sarah Cruz earned the season’s first offensive player of the week award in the WAC after hitting .307 with 5.42 points per set and 4.62 kills per set in a 2-1 opening weekend. Cruz kept the momentum rolling against Corpus Christi on Aug. 30, posting a blistering .393 hitting percentage with 30 kills and adding in 18 digs in the Vaquero win. 

 

Five different teams representing the WAC have logged hitting percentages in excess of .220 to begin the season. UTRGV leads the conference with a .270 team clip, followed by Grand Canyon (.247), California Baptist (.244), Tarleton (.235) and Stephen F. Austin (.224) as of Aug. 31. 

 

As of the latest NCAA Division I statistics updated on Aug. 30, WAC teams were well represented in several statistical categories. Abilene Christian was the national leader in digs per set (22.00), while UTRGV’s 219 team assists and 241 team kills paced the country. Sarah Cruz (104.5 points, 90 kills) and Luanna Emiliano (199 assists) were individual category leaders representing UTRGV.