Box Score Box Score

Trailing two sets to one to Texas A&M International in Laredo, UTPB volleyball turned its fortunes around by outscoring TAMIU 11-2 in a decisive 25-15 fourth set win before running away with a 15-8 fifth set victory to complete the comeback in a 22-25, 25-21, 18-25, 25-15, 15-8 win in the season-opener for both teams in Heartland Conference action.

Needing a fourth-set win to extend the match out to a fifth set while trailing 2-1, the Falcons put some separation between them and Texas A&M International with six straight points to increase a 10-7 advantage out to a 16-7 lead. UTPB never led by less than seven points in the remainder of the fourth and closed out the set with a kill from Ryley Carman and evened the match a two sets each on an attack error by TAMIU for a 25-15 win.

The Falcons used a big run again in the fifth to go from trailing by aa point to leading by five with six points in a row. The Falcons got a pair of kills by Rachel Dixon and attacks by Whitney Wofford and Annelise Sanchez to hold an 8-3 lead. UTPB rattled off three straight after a Dustdevils point, scoring kills from Dixon and Bobbi Sczruba and a block by Morgann Davis and Sczruba to go up by seven at 11-4. A kill by Sanchez doubled up the lead at 14-7 and Davis ended the match two points later with a kill for a 15-8 fifth-set win.

UTPB was led on the attack by a trio of players. Davis, Carman and Dixon each ended the night with 10 kills as Dixon led all Falcons with a .412 hitting percentage. UTPB ended the night hitting .245 to just .168 by Texas A&M International. 

Jordan McDonald paced the Falcons with 14 digs, and Ariana Gallardo tallied 10 digs to go with a team-high 29 assists. 

UTPB stays on the road this weekend, traveling to San Antonio Saturday afternoon for a noon match against St. Mary's and a 3 p.m. contest against Southern Nazarene.