2023 WAC Volleyball Tournament Central
OREM, Utah – The 2023 WAC Volleyball Tournament began on Thursday at the Lockhart Arena on the campus of Utah Valley. No. 2 Grand Canyon, No. 3 UTRGV, No. 1 Stephen F. Austin and No. 5 Utah Valley advanced to the semifinal round that will take place on Friday, Nov. 17.
No. 2 Grand Canyon will compete in a showdown against No. 3 UTRGV at 3 p.m. MT. No. 1 Stephen F. Austin takes on No. 5 Utah Valley at 6 p.m. MT for the second semifinal match of the day.
No. 2 Grand Canyon 3, No. 7 California Baptist 0 | Box Score
No. 2 Grand Canyon swept No. 7 California Baptist (25-17, 25-15, 25-22) in the opening quarterfinal match of the 2023 WAC Volleyball Tournament. The Lopes moved on to 21-7 overall, earning their 17th sweep of the season. The Lancers conclude their 2023 season at 14-14 overall.
Senior outside hitter Tatum Parrott led Grand Canyon offensively with 17 kills on an impressive .593 hitting clip. WAC Setter of the Year Klaire Mitchell recorded 33 assists, five digs and two kills. Tatum Thomas chipped in with 11 digs and three assists. Overall, the Lopes had a total of 44 kills, 38 digs and five blocks, holding California Baptist to a .153 hitting percentage.
The Lancers were led by graduate student Catherine Krieger with nine kills. WAC Freshman of the Year Nicole Mauser recorded eight kills. Sophomore Reese Reed recorded a total of 16 assists, while freshman Maddie Brown had 15 assists. Brianna Young tallied match-highs with 10 digs and four aces.
No. 3 UTRGV 3, No. 6 Tarleton State 2 | Box Score
No. 3 UTRGV fought off a relentless No. 6 Tarleton State in a five-set thriller (26-24, 25-18, 21-25, 19-25, 15-13) on Thursday afternoon. The Vaqueros extends their overall record to 19-10, while Tarleton State wraps up its season at 16-15 overall.
UTRGV was powered by junior outside hitter Claudia Lupescu, who nearly recorded a double-double with a career-high 23 kills and nine digs. Junior outside hitter Perris Key added 17 kills on a .300 hitting clip and six digs. Junior setter Luanna Emiliano tallied her 19th double-double of the season with 53 assists and 10 digs. WAC Libero of the Year Kiaraliz Perez chipped in a match-high 23 digs and five assists.
Tarleton State was kept alive behind senior outside hitter Rajini Fitzmaurice’s 15 kills and eight digs. Freshman middle blocker Madison Frank recorded a match-high eight blocks and posted six kills. Sophomore Megan Hodges led the Texans in assists, as she tallied her 12th double-double of the season with 35 assists and 10 digs.
No. 1 Stephen F. Austin 3, No. 8 Abilene Christian 1 | Box Score
No. 1 Stephen F. Austin defeated No. 8 Abilene Christian in four sets (25-22, 21-25, 25-19, 25-15) to advance to Fridays semifinal at 6 p.m. MT. SFA recorded 14 total team blocks, holding the Wildcats to a .155 team hitting percentage. The ‘Jacks moved on to 28-3 overall, extending their winning streak to 17. The Wildcats ended their season with an overall record of 11-17.
WAC Player of the Year Ielan Bradley led the charge for the ‘Jacks with match-highs in kills (17) and blocks (6). Freshman right side hitter Tanishua Joseph assisted offensively with 14 kills hitting .520. Sophomore Jayden Flynn tallied 26 assists, while senior Maddy Bourque chipped in 22 assists. Senior Haley Hoang anchored the backcourt with a match-high 18 digs.
Abilene Christian outscored the 'Jacks with a team total of 57 kills, as graduate student Breanna Box led the Wildcats with 16 kills. Junior Madeline Guffy recorded 48 assists and added eight digs. Redshirt junior Andie Sheppard tallied a match-high 19 digs and chipped in four kills and two assists.
No. 5 Utah Valley 3, No. 4 UT Arlington 2 | Box Score
The WAC Quarterfinal round saw its second five-set match of the day as No. 5 Utah Valley upset No. 4 UT Arlington in front of an electric home crowd (25-15, 25-16, 22-25, 22-25, 15-10). The Wolverines advanced to the semifinal round for the eighth consecutive year. UT Arlington concludes its season with an overall record of 20-10.
Utah Valley outperformed UT Arlington in kills (63), blocks (12) and aces (8). Senior outside hitter Tori Ellis recorded a match-high 15 kills and added four blocks. Senior Abbie Medeiros and freshman Evalyn Chism each recorded a double-double with Medeiros tallying 29 assists and 12 digs, while Chism had 22 assists and 10 digs. Freshman Lani Matavao posted 11 digs, six assists and three aces.
Senior outside hitter Brianna Ford recorded her 18th and sixth consecutive double-double of the season with 20 kills and 12 digs. Senior Mollie Blank had a near double-double with 51 assists and eight digs. Graduate student Alli Wells led the Mavs defensively with a match-high 16 digs and added four assists. Senior middle blocker Kourtney Puckett chipped in offensively with 15 kills on a .344 hitting clip and nine digs.
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