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RIO GRANDE VALLEY\u00a0\u2013 The Southland Conference (SLC) announced the weekly volleyball awards Monday and The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) picked up two awards as juniors\u00a0Celianiz Cabranes<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Isabella Costantini<\/a>\u00a0were named the SLC Defensive Player and Setter of the Week, respectively.\u00a0 Support UTRGV Volleyball<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Become a Fan on Facebook<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Follow us on Twitter<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Follow us on Instagram<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Follow us on YouTube<\/a>
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\nThis is the second SLC Defensive Player of the Week award for Cabranes, who was also the defensive honorable mention once this season. She scooped up a whopping 7.67 digs per set as she helped UTRGV pick up back-to-back victories over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the South Texas Showdown, presented by Rally Credit Union, extending the SLC’s longest winning streak to 10 matches.\u00a0
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\nCabranes had a career-high 40 digs with three assists in UTRGV’s 3-2 comeback victory in Corpus on Saturday. She was tremendous defensively in the match, covering the court with her speed and handling hard hits with ease as she passed well and kept UTRGV in system. Her 40 digs tie the second-most digs recorded in a match by a Div. I player this season, behind only Sacred Heart’s\u00a0Miliani Villarreal’s\u00a042 digs in a five-set match on Saturday, and are the fourth-most digs in a single match in program history.\u00a0
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\nIn Thursday’s 3-1 win over the Islanders in Edinburg, Cabranes had a then-season high 29 digs with three assists. The reigning SLC Libero of the Year is fourth in the conference and 21st\u00a0in the nation averaging 4.84 digs per set this season and has totaled 402 digs, which ranks fourth in the SLC and 44th\u00a0nationally.\u00a0
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\nCostantini picks up her second SLC Setter of the Week award and also tabbed honorable mention earlier this season. She totaled 107 assists, 20 digs, seven kills, six blocks and four aces through two wins over Corpus, once again showing her ability to contribute in every facet of the game.\u00a0
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\nIn Thursday’s victory, Costantini recorded her sixth double-double with 49 assists, 12 digs, a career-high tying four blocks, one kill and one ace as she ran the offense to a .317 hitting percentage. She dished out 58 assists in the win Saturday along with a season-high six kills, eight digs, three aces and two blocks.\u00a0
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\nCostantini, the reigning SLC Setter and Newcomer of the Year, owns the SLC’s two highest single-match assist totals (61 and 58). She leads the Southland and is 21st\u00a0in the nation averaging 10.30 assists per set and is second in the conference and 32nd\u00a0in the nation with 855 total assists. She’s also one of the league’s best servers, sitting at the top of the conference with 46 aces, ranking ninth nationally, and second with 0.55 aces per set. Costantini is facilitating UTRGV to a historically efficient offensive season. The Vaqueros currently lead the Southland and rank 20th\u00a0in the nation with a .274 team hitting percentage.\u00a0
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\nThe Vaqueros play their final home matches of the regular season this week at the UTRGV Fieldhouse, starting with a Thursday match against the UIW Cardinals at 6:30 p.m. Fans can purchase tickets at\u00a0UTRGVTickets.com<\/a>. Students get in free with a valid student ID but will need to claim a ticket at\u00a0GoUTRGV.com\/StudentTickets<\/a>. A\u00a0clear bag policy<\/a>\u00a0is in place for all UTRGV Athletics venues.\u00a0\u00a0
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\nUTRGV Volleyball’s 2025 SLC Weekly Awards\u00a0
\nCelianiz Cabranes<\/a>, SLC Defensive Player of the Week, Sept. 1\u00a0
\nMartina Franco<\/a>, SLC Offensive Player of the Week Honorable Mention, Sept. 1
\nCelianiz Cabranes<\/a>, SLC Defensive Player of the Week Honorable Mention, Sept. 15
\nIsabella Costantini<\/a>, SLC Setter of the Week, Sept. 22
\nAaliyah Snead<\/a>, SLC Offensive Player of the Week Honorable Mention, Sept. 22
\nNadine Zech<\/a>, SLC Offensive Player of the Week, Oct. 13
\nIsabella Costantini<\/a>, SLC Setter of the Week Honorable Mention, Oct. 13
\nCelianiz Cabranes<\/a>, SLC Defensive Player of the Week, Nov. 3
\nIsabella Costantini<\/a>, SLC Setter of the Week, Nov. 3<\/p>\n
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