Bronc volleyball celebrates last home match with Senior Night before GWC Tournament.

The last “pass, set, spike” for 2010 has been recorded in the newly remolded UTPA Field House, and to say that this season has been a tumultuous series of heart-warming highs and heart wrenching lows would be an understatement.
From losing Maria Kliefoth, the German transfer who was expected to contribute highly, to Marci Logan surpassing the 1,000-kill mark, everything the Broncs have gone through has been as a team.
The lights will no longer be turned on in the Field House to host a volleyball game this season, and the seniors that anchored this team will no longer wear a Bronc jersey.
“It took me a little extra time to put on my socks and shoes and go though my pre-game routine,” Rita Gonzalez, the senior setter from Phoenix, admitted, about Senior Night Saturday against North Dakota. “It was a exciting to know that we are the first senior class to have a senior night in the new Field House.”
The seniors had a ceremony right before the first serve of the game where they introduced each one another by stating their fondest moments of teammates. Emotions were high as one by one the women were handed flowers by either a parent or loved ones and had a small-prepared paragraph read over the PA system by the previously introduced senior.
“It is definitely a bittersweet moment,” said Ariana Bermea, the libero transfer from Laredo. “I threatened my parents that they better come watch me from warm-ups all the way through the end of the game because this is the last time they’ll see me,” she joked, with watery eyes.
Even though the seniors were very aware that this game was to be their last home chance, full attention and energy was focused on the opponent at hand.
“All our attention was on North Dakota today,” said libero Kaitlin Vasquez of Garland. “It was like getting ready for any other game focused on what we had to do to try and get the job done.”
The Great West Conference Tournament to be played in Chicago Nov. 19-21 kept their emotions at bay Saturday as several seniors used that as a fallback and comfort zone in order to avoid thinking of the inevitable end to their playing days.
“It still hasn’t hit me honestly,” Edinburg senior Cassandra Trevino said. “I would have cried today, but we still have practice for conference we still have to prepare like we do any other week, so it still hasn’t hit me.”
Chicago State University will host the Great West Conference Tournament Nov. 19-21, where the Broncs will face off against Houston Baptist University in the first round.The Broncs were on the short end against HBU twice this season in two really close games, and they will try to make better on third attempt against the Houston squad. The team heads into conference with an overall record of 4-8 in conference and 8-21 overall.
“This is what this season has come down to,” said senior setter Charity Cucancic. “We definitely can beat HBU and advance on to round two.”