Sophie Ocampo, redshirt junior outside hitter, links pinkies with her teammates after a game against California Baptist University on Oct. 23 at College Park Center.Â
UTA volleyball will have the opportunity to bounce back after a 3-0 loss to Utah Tech University in its upcoming Western Athletic Conference tournament. The team is scheduled to start play at 7 p.m. Thursday, with the tournament running through Saturday at the Moody Coliseum in Abilene, Texas.
In its last game of the regular season, UTA couldn’t get out of its own way, as the team let several errors allow Utah Tech to capitalize. The Trailblazers kept UTA fighting from behind most of the game and rallied back in the last set to take the win.
The Mavericks’ effort was led by several notable player performances. Sophie Ocampo, redshirt junior outside hitter, had the team-high nine kills to go with junior setter Mira Ledermueller’s 27 assists and nine digs. Junior outside hitter Evyn Snook and junior libero Samantha Glenn also chipped in, leading in service aces at two.
UTA will open up the WAC tournament against host Abilene Christian University, a team that they will compete against with a historical edge, boasting a 14-6-1 all-time record.
The previous two times these teams have met, UTA fell short despite its effort, 3-1 and 3-2. UTA put up a comeback effort in the most recent matchup, which resulted in four players with double-figure points. However, ACU capitalized on its early leads to seal the deal.
Last season, the Mavericks won all three of their WAC games against ACU in a clean sweep. The dominant contest over Abilene Christian advanced the team to the semifinals, fueled by hitting and kill percentages of .345 and .443, respectively.
The winner between UTA and ACU will advance to the semifinals to take on Utah Valley University at 7 p.m. Friday. All WAC Volleyball Tournament games will be available to stream on ESPN+.
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