There will not be as many matches to talk about for the UT Arlington volleyball team now that conference play has started. At most there will be two matches a week, and occasionally, thanks to the odd number of Western Athletic Conference teams, one match to talk about.
But what a week it was. Conference play started with the conference preseason one and two going at it. The experienced Mavs, forecasted second to Grand Canyon's preseason prognostication of first, were playing their supposed betters. On top of that, UTA was on the road at their place. And, after winning the first two matches of the series, UTA had lost three straight entering Thursday.
There clearly was a chip on the Mavericks shoulder. It had to be some combo of underdog, away team and losing streak. The first set deceptively started as a slugfest the match was thought to be, as UTA led 1-0, tied 1-1, then another Mav lead at 3-1. 3-2. then 5-3. While still close at 8-5, the Mavs used runs of 5-0. 3-0. and 7-0, the latter ended the set, for an unpredicted 25-8 win. Graduate Student Brianna Ford scored two aces in that clinching run to go with three kills in the set, below her kill per set average. With such a dominating performance, and only three from the offensive engine, speaks to the depth this offense possesses.
Set two was more along the lines of what I expected, though the start was more what the first set was. UTA scored five of the first six and eight of the first ten. GCU answered with a 4-0 before a service error ended their run with an 9-6 deficit. GCU scored points at a two-to-one rate to grab a 13-11 lead. UTA answered and neither team was able to push a lead past two. The 'lopes seemed to gain the upper hand late in the set when they used two Mav attack errors for a 22-20 lead. Redshirt sophomore Outside Hitter Sophie Ocampo ended the run with a kill, sophomore Outside Hitter Evyn Snook logged an ace and GCU assisted with an attack error for a brief 23-22 lead. GCU and UTA traded points until Ford finally logged two in a row on textbook kills for the 26-24 set two win.
Set three carried over the intensity from the previous set. A 6-2 GCU run midway through put them up 19-13. The Mavericks chipped away, getting within three twice, but the Antelopes shut down any real chance at a ruin with three kills in the last four points for a 25-20 Mav setback.
The 'lopes started set four with three of the first four points. Two kills from Ford and an ace from sophomore Libero Samantha Glenn were part of a 5-1 run to build a 6-4 lead. UTA was on cruise control scoring two points for every one scored by GCU to get a commanding 20-13 lead. A mini-lope run brought the score to 21-17. Graduate senior Setter Mollie Blank recorded an ace to complement three kills by Ford as the Mavs wrapped up the set and the match.
During the match, I learned preseason MVP Tatum Parrot was out of the playing lineup for GCU. They came in 7-4 and 2-0 after she left the match against Pacific, so they were still formidable. I looked for any updates on the web, but couldn't find out what the injury was, the extent or length of time she is out.
Ford notched an incredible 20 kills, ten digs and four blocks. Ocampo was second on the team with 11 kills. Graduate student Middle Blocker Paige Reagor was also in double digit kills with ten and led with six blocks. Blank had an incredible 51 assists. Graduate senior Outside Hitter Cansu Gunaydin led the team with 14 digs, one ahead of Glenn's 13.
Going into Thursday's WAC matches, California Baptist, the preseason fourth place team, was winless. They lost nine of 12 matches in a sweep. Given the fact that UTA was coming off the biggest win of the season, coupled with the worst performing non-conference team next, the Mavs were ripe for a letdown.
It didn't look like there'd be a drop off early as UTA won the first two sets, though by far they weren't blow outs. In the first set, the team built a 23-16. The Lancers grabbed six in a row to make the end of the first set interesting, but UTA got two of the last three points for a 25-23 win.
It was a back-and-forth affair for most of the second set. With UTA clinging to a 20-19 lead, the Mavs racked up four out of five points to move to a 24-20 lead. After a Mav service error, Ford ended the affair with a kill, a 25-21 win.
UTA grabbed an 10-5 lead to start set three, but CBU went on a 13-5 run for a 21-18 lead. UTA wasn't going quietly, but they trailed too much as the Lancers eeked out a 25-23 set three win.
Set four was a closer replica of set three. Near the end, the Mavs found themselves on the short end of a 21-18 score. They narrowed the gap but the Lancers responded in kind with for a 24-21 lead. The Mavericks reeled off four straight, taking an improbable 25-24 lead. The Lancers landed two kills and then a service ace for a 27-25 to even the match at two sets.
With momentum on CBU's side, the fifth set was uncomfortable early. After a 2-1 Lancer lead, the Mavericks ripped off four straight to take a lead they would never relinquish. They traded a couple of points and took another mini-run for a 9-4 lead. It was an almost even one-for-one trade as the Mavs grabbed a 15-8 set and match win.
Ford led the team in kills and blocks with 26 and six. Reagor was second in both with 15 and five. Blank had another amazing assist total with 50, Glenn turned in her best career digs performance with 24.
While five sets might be a disappointment, there was no fight lost. Records can be deceiving. I've referenced this several times but this team likely would have lost a match like this in prior years. When the result was on the line in the fifth, they took over. While there are certainly more dominating scores, 15-8 is more than a team can hope for in a fifth set win.
The other factor for me is this was another road match, the tail end of a two-game conference road trip. While TCU is a close trip, it is the eighth road match in a row. Coupled with the emotions of the big win, the fact this didn't trip up the Mavs, especially after the Lancers upset title-contender Utah Valley two days earlier.
What I've seen is what I expected to see at the beginning of the year. The offense is just incredible. Other than the loss against ranked TCU, every team has struggled to contain UTA. If Glenn can keep improving, as she did with her career high, UTA may take it to another level as the defense is a step or two below the offense. If it can get on the same level as the O, there is a great chance for some noise in November. There are enough players who can make a defensive play. There's no Alli Wells type to take over. Glenn does that and watch out WAC.
The Mavericks return to College Park Center this Thursday against Southern Utah, currently 2-0 in WAC play, before hosting Tarleton on Saturday, 0-2.
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