Scorpions Stop TWU for Championship
UTB/TSC Wins Red River Athletic Conference Tournament
Posted November 10, 2007
FORT WORTH -- The UTB/TSC women's volleyball team left no doubt who the best volleyball team in the Red River Athletic Conference was in 2007.

The Scorpions captured their first RRAC volleyball championship with a 3-0 victory over host Texas Wesleyan University at the Sid Richardson Center on the campus of Texas Wesleyan University Saturday, November 10.

The top-seeded Scorpions rolled past TWU, 30-22, 30-22, 30-22, to win their 30th match of the season against seven losses.

And although the Scorpions were excited about winning the conference crown, Coach Marcus Young and the team knows that there are bigger goals ahead.

"One of our goals was to win the conference, and the next one is to win the region," Young said. "We're looking forward to the regional tournament, and we hope to do real well there. Since we're ranked the number one team in the region, we have to go out and prove it."

The conference championship win keeps the Scorpions as the No. 1 seed for the NAIA Region VI Volleyball Tournament Nov. 16-17 at Lubbock Christian University.

UTB/TSC will face the tournament's No. 8 seed at 11 a.m. Friday in Lubbock in the quarterfinals. The seedings will be announced Monday. The regional tournament winner advances to the NAIA National Women's Volleyball Championships in Columbia, Missouri, November 28-December 1.

Saturday's win also was also No. 30 of the season against seven losses for the Scorpions, who are ranked 18th in the nation by the NAIA. Texas Wesleyan already has 30 victories, but with 15 losses, three of which have been dealt to them by UTB/TSC.

In the win over TWU Saturday, the Scorpions were never threatened in the first two games, and held off the Rams in Game 3.

"We stepped it up for this match," Young said. "We played well, and when we play well, we're tough to beat."

Freshman Talita Milasauskas, named Saturday as the Red River Athletic Conference Player of the Year and Front Row Player of the Year, came up with another big performance at clutch time with 15 kills, 13 digs and five blocks. It was her 12th double-double of the season, and she has collected four triple-doubles.

Daianarah Bracero, named RRAC Newcomer of the Year, had 35 assists, nine digs, four aces, and four  blocks.

Claudia Alarcon added eight kills and 14 digs, Katie Japp six kills and 17 digs, and Jenny Ashley six kills and seven digs.