Aug. 26, 2011
Final Stats
EL PASO, Tex. - UT Arlington opened the season in impressive fashion Friday evening with a dominant 3-0 victory over Southern at Memorial Gym in El Paso.
The Mavericks (1-0) put together a balanced attack with three players recording at least eight kills on their way to a 25-8, 25-14, 25-11 win. Charae Grosser and Tara Frantz tied for the team lead with nine kills.
Grosser, in her first career start, launched her 2011 season in style. She earned kills on her first six attempts and also finished with four blocks.
"I'm really happy to see the way Charae came out tonight and executed all the things she had shown she can do all preseason," UT Arlington coach Diane Seymour said. "She has worked really hard for us for three years now and it was great to see it pay off."
Amanda Welsh, in her first collegiate match, recorded 26 assists and added two aces. The match doubled as a homecoming of sorts for Welsh, who lived in El Paso before her junior year of high school.
"Any nerves she had, I think, were out of being excited and not out of concern," Seymour said. "She did a really nice job spreading the ball around for us tonight and also did a great job from the service line."
Amanda Aguilera added eight and five digs to tie for the team lead. The senior hit .412 in the match.
UT Arlington outmatched the Jaguars from the start and never trailed in a set.
Emily Shearin recorded five blocks, leading the Mavs to 17 total blocks. Shearin also had two aces and four digs.
Alicia Shaffer tied Aguilera with five digs and the Mavericks held Southern (0-1) to a -.040 hitting percentage.
"We did such a great job blocking that our defensive players might have gotten a little bored back there tonight," Seymour said. "Emily and Eld-hah Kaswatuka were exceptional in the middle. I'm very happy with our defensive performance."
The Mavs, meanwhile, hit .338 as a team.
Ashley Bennett, Chelsea Rekieta, Megan Casey, Valerie Stetzer and Caroline Namazi also made their collegiate debuts.
Casey and Stetzer recorded three and one digs, respectively. Bennett registered two kills in two attempts. Rekieta had two assists and a dig.
UT Arlington returns to the court Saturday for a 1 p.m. match against Portland State. The Mavs conclude their stay in the El Paso Sports Commission Volleyball Invitational with an 8:30 p.m. match against tournament host UTEP.
