Sept. 17, 2016
By Cassie Logan and Michael Eldridge | UTAMavs.com
ARLINGTON, Texas -A successful weekend concluded as UT Arlington ended nonconference play with a bang and earned coach Diane Seymour her 200th career victory on Saturday at College Park Center.
Seymour is just the second coach in UTA Volleyball history to reach 200 wins, joining Mary Ridgway, who finished with 263. The Mavericks (6-9) finished off play in the UT Arlington Invitational with an overall record of 3-1. Saturday wins included a five-set thriller that saw the Mavs avoid a comeback bid by Houston Baptist and a convincing win to conclude the tournament over UTEP.
Ending nonconference play with momentum, UTA heads into Sun Belt action on the road with a pair of matches in Alabama. The trek begins on Friday at 6:30 p.m. at South Alabama before facing Troy on Sunday at 12 p.m.
All-Tournament Team
- Zhanelle Geathers - UT Arlington
- Kaitlyn Granger - UT Arlington
- Victoria Spragg - New Mexico
- Devanne Sours - New Mexico
- Kayla Armer - Houston Baptist
- Lindsey Larson - UTEP
- Erin Bognar - Samford
- Erika Pifer - Samford
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Match 1: UT Arlington 3, Houston Baptist 2 (Final Stats)
After rushing to a 2-0 lead, UT Arlington would find itself finishing what it started in the final points of a fifth set to rout Houston Baptist 3-2 Saturday at College Park Center.
The Mavericks made quick work of the Huskies in the opening frame 25-9 behind a stellar defensive effort that produced nine blocks. Houston Baptist showed signs of life in the second set, but UTA stood firm 25-18 before the storm hit.
The Huskies managed two 5-0 runs throughout the third set with their match-best .314 hitting percentage, and out-hit the Mavs 18-11 in the fourth to force a final decision. Both teams traded leads in the final frame, but a pair of kills from Zhanelle Geathers swung momentum UTA's way to fuel the comeback 15-11.
The Mavericks close out the UTA Invitational against UTEP 7 p.m. at CPC.
PLAYERS OF THE MATCH
Kaitlyn Granger topped her career-high with 17 kills and hit at a clip of .310. Qiana Canete picked up a double-double with 12 kills and 16 digs. Taylor Murata notched a team-high 21 digs.
KEY STATS
The Huskies had a tough time pushing anything past UTA in the first set as the Mavs put up nine blocks to flatten HBU's hitting percentage to -.226. The Mavs would go on to out-block the Huskies 15-2. HBU's match-high .314 attack percentage in the third lit enough of a fire to even the action at 2 apiece.
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Match 2: UT Arlington 3, UTEP 1 (Final Stats)
The Mavericks picked up right where they left off in Match 2. UTA hit at a .287 clip overall in the match and a match-best .425 to close it out in the fourth.
A balanced attack lifted UTA to a convincing 25-23 Set 1 win as Canete, Granger and Geathers each had four kills. The Miners evened things up in the second before UTA got it going again to take the match.
Granger powered five kills in the third, while Ingram and Canete combined for six kills. UTA pulled ahead to a 23-17 lead but UTEP didn't go away without a fight. The Miners strung together a run to pull back within two and forcing a timeout. But it was the Mavs who came out on top, claiming the third 25-21.
Set 4 started with UTA coming out on fire. Geathers pounded back-to-back points to build up a 9-5 lead and the blocking antics of Canete and Ingram got together to give the Mavs their largest lead at five points. UTA continued to coast on offense and built up a 22-15 lead before making the final run. A block, ace and kill by canete clinched the match.
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Quotables
UTA coach Diane Seymour
"It was a long day. They got up early and competed in two really hard-fought matches and came out on top in both of them. I'm really pleased with the play of our outside hitters in the first match. We challenged them midway through the third set to increase their kill production. Granger did with 17 in the match. They both answered the bell tonight with Granger having 19 and Qiana having 21."
Canete on starting Sun Belt play
"We just have to stay focused and bring our energy on the road. We need to stay motivated and keep having good practices. Being on the road, it's going to be tough traveling and playing, so we have to stay focused mentally."
Wheeler on the adversity faced in injuries
"We responded really well. With Claire and Jessica, it's hard to adjust to not having them on the dime, but I think the next set where we came back even stronger than before, that's all we can ask for."
Seymour on bouncing back after Set 2 loss in Match 2
"They settled themselves down and stayed focused on the things that we've been talking about, and transferred those little things into match play. Even when there was a mishap, they did a tremendous job of responding very quickly."
Seymour on how Libbie Vickers has settled in
"What Libbie brings is a competitive spirit. She wants to win and wants to play. All she's had to really work on is our technical things that we like to do here. She's starting to grasp those more consistently, which is helping her passing game. She is always going to be very competitive on defense and dive for those balls." Seymour
