Sept. 12, 2009
Box Score | Photo Gallery 
ARLINGTON, Texas - The UT Arlington volleyball team fell to UALR 25-16, 25-18, 23-25, 25-17, in its home opener on Saturday morning at Texas Hall in the first match of the UT Arlington Invitational.
Sophomore outside hitter Tara Frantz had a breakthrough match with nine kills and a .400 hitting percentage and junior Bianca Sauls also added nine kills and 11 digs for the Mavericks.
UALR (5-2) was led by Anita Bucur (24 kills, 13 digs) and Giuliana De Francesco (55 assists, 16 digs) to pick up their second straight win over the Mavericks at Texas Hall. UT Arlington (2-6) drops to 18-9 all-time in home openers.
"I'm very disappointed," UT Arlington head coach Diane Seymour said. "I thought we would show a lot more fight and enthusiasm being on our home court and we didn't do that."
The Mavericks started out slow with UALR taking the first set in a runaway with a 25-16 win and a 25-18 victory in the second frame.
UALR never trailed in the opening set and the Mavericks held only two brief leads (1-0, 2-1) in the early going before UALR took a commanding 2-0 lead in the match after a second-set win.
The Trojans put down 20 kills with a .581 hitting percentage in the first set and a .353 percentage in the second set.
Frantz, who hadn't posted a kill this season entering the match, recorded a kill in the second set on two attempts and then tallied eight kills on 12 swings in the third set.
"Tara came off the bench and did a good job for us," Seymour said. "That is what we are looking for right now. We need to find some people who can get out there and can give us a little bit of fight."
Frantz finished the match with nine kills, one error and 20 attempts with two digs and two blocks.
"I had nothing to lose," Frantz said. "I just went out there and tried to do my best. I didn't have any fear and I had a lot of confidence."
The Mavericks used a .261 hitting percentage in the third set while both teams handed off the lead four times and the set had 12 ties before the Mavericks won 25-23.
UALR capitalized on 17 kills in the fourth and final set to win the match with a 25-17 fourth-set victory.
The Mavericks notched several season-highs as a team in the match with 48 kills, 155 attempts, 42 assists and 66 digs. Junior setter Raegan Daniel equaled a season-high with 32 assists and she posted her third double-double of the season with 14 digs.
Senior libero Teena Sobczak tied for the match-high with 16 digs, which equals the most by a Maverick this season.
UT Arlington will take on Oklahoma this evening at 7 p.m. in the final match of the UT Arlington Invitational at Texas Hall.
MATCH NOTES:
UT Arlington drops to 18-9 all-time in home openers... The Mavericks are now 7-5 all-time against UALR, and fall to 5-5 against the Trojans in Arlington... It was only the second match this season that the Mavs played in that didn't finish in three sets (lost in four sets to Illinois State - 8/29)... Mavericks fall to 0-6 this season when trailing in hitting percentage (.315 -to-.181)... Raegan Daniel recorded her 300th career dig... Daniel's double-double was the 14th of her career and she currently leads the Mavs this season with three... Daniel posted a season-high 19 attempts and 14 digs... Tara Frantz finished the match with nine kills giving her 100 for her career... Frantz marked season-highs in kills (9), attempts (20), digs (2) and blocks (2)... Teena Sobczak led the Mavericks in digs for the first time this season... Sauls tied for the team lead in kills, marking the fifth time she has led the team this season... Shearin led the team in blocks (4) for the first time this season... Shearin recorded a career-high 22 attempts and a season best four blocks... Teena Sobczak, who made her first start of the season, posted season-highs with 16 digs, four attempts, two kills and two assists... Rachel Sellari finished with a season-high seven digs... Eld-hah Kaswatuka recorded a season-high 26 attempts and equaled a season-high eight kills... UALR finished with the most kills (67), attempts (162), assists (64) and digs (73) by any Maverick opponent this season... UALR's Anita Bucur's 24 kills and 48 attempts are the most by any Maverick opposing player this season... Setter Giuliana De Francesco's 55 assists are the most by any opposing player this season.
