TYLER, Texas – After UT Tyler split the first two sets with Lone Star Conference divisional rival Texas Woman's University, the Patriots dropped a competitive third set before suffering a four-set defeat to the Pioneers, 25-13, 23-25, 25-21, 25-12, Saturday afternoon.

Christina Escamilla led UT Tyler with a season-high 14 kills, and Kyana Alvarez added 11 kills for her third straight match with double-digit kills, but the Patriots had trouble slowing down a TWU offense which posted attack percentages of .316 or better in each of the Pioneers' set victories.

After the defeat, UT Tyler drops to 8-10 overall and 3-7 in Lone Star Conference play, and the Patriots are now 1-5 in divisional play. Texas Woman's improves to 10-10 overall, 6-4 in the LSC, and 3-3 within the division.

How It Happened: Texas Woman's University used a 14-3 run to flip a 6-5 deficit around into a commanding edge, and the Pioneers raced to a 25-13 victory in the opening set.

Kylee Becker had three kills during a 10-2 run in the second set, giving UT Tyler a 17-10 lead, but the Pioneers came all the way back to tie the set at 20-20. Kyana Alvarez keyed a 3-point burst, starting with a solo block that made it 21-20 and adding a kill after another block from Christina Escamilla and Maiya Peña to push the lead to 23-20. An Escamilla kill gave the Patriots a set point at 24-21, but TWU cut the lead to 24-23 before Peña and Becker teamed up for a block to finish off the 25-23 win.

Texas Woman's jumped out to a 7-3 lead in the third set and never trailed, leading by as many as six points at 15-9 before Escamilla and Jayden Thompson helped UT Tyler score six of the next seven points to pull within one, 16-15. Escamilla and Thompson combined for a block before each recorded a kill as part of the run. The Pioneers extended the lead to 23-18, which UT Tyler slashed to 23-21 with three straight points, but TWU survived the set on a kill and block for the 25-21 win. The Pioneers broke the fourth set open with a 9-1 run, taking a 13-4 lead early on, and UT Tyler never got closer than eight points the rest of the way in the 25-12 defeat.

By The Numbers: Both teams recorded exactly 80 digs… Texas Woman's University finished with a 16-6 advantage in blocks… The Pioneers did not commit an attack error in the opening set, and they registered team attack percentages of .316, .342, and .355 in the sets it won.

UT Tyler Stat Leaders: Christina Escamilla led the Patriots with 14 kills, which was her season-high and her highest total since the sophomore transfer from UC Riverside registered 19 kills in a match against Long Beach State last year. It was Escamilla's fifth time in double figures this season, and Kyana Alvarez was in double figures for the third consecutive match as she added 11 kills to go with 13 digs. Kylee Becker also had 13 digs to go with 8 kills, and Savanna Sherman registered team-highs in digs (14) and assists (23). Maiya Peña had a hand in a team-high four of the Patriots' six blocks.

Texas Woman's Stat Leaders: Elizabeth Ugbaja finished with a match-high 16 kills, converting 39 attempts with just three errors for a .333 hitting percentage. She was one of four Pioneers in double figures in digs, as well, finishing with 10 digs. Tabitha Spray added 10 kills and 15 digs, and Bailey French recorded a match-high 19 digs for TWU. Trixie Oche (8 blocks) and Courtney Noel (7 blocks) helped their team to 16 team blocks in the match.

What's Next: UT Tyler goes back on the road for the first of its final two Lone Star Conference weekend road trips, visiting DBU in Dallas on Friday, Oct. 25, before taking on Tarleton in Stephenville on Saturday, Oct. 26. The Patriots' next home games are divisional matches against Cameron (Nov. 1) and UAFS (Nov. 2).