TYLER, Texas – A return to the Herrington Patriot Center was exactly what the UT Tyler volleyball team needed to return to the win column, as the Patriots snapped a three-match losing streak with a four-set win over Lubbock Christian Friday night, 23-25, 25-23, 25-13, 25-15.
Â
Each of the first two sets reached a 21-21 tie score, and LCU claimed the opening set by winning four of the final five points. Faced with the same situation in the second set, UT Tyler answered in similar fashion with a late sprint to tie the match at one set apiece. In the middle of the third set, freshman outside hitter
Kylee Becker put away four of her season-high 20 kills in the midst of a 15-3 run that sealed a 25-13 win, and she had another four kills in the fourth set to help lead the Patriots to a match-clinching 25-15 victory.
Â
Becker's 20 kills represented a season-high, and
Christina Escamilla (11 kills) and
Hannah Callison (10 kills) joined her in double figures. Defensively, UT Tyler posted 11 blocks, led by 6 blocks from
Hattie Murray, and
Savannah Guzman led a quartet of Patriots in double figures in digs with 21.
Â
With the win, UT Tyler improves to 7-6 overall and 2-3 in Lone Star Conference play, while Lubbock Christian falls to 8-7 overall and 2-4 in the Lone Star.
Â
How It Happened: Lubbock Christian's offense produced 17 kills in the 25-23 opening-set win, but the Chaparrals only registered nine kills in each of the next three sets as UT Tyler settled into the match. The Patriots survived the second set, which featured 10 tie scores and four lead changes, thanks in part to a late charge led by
Kyana Alvarez. With UT Tyler trailing, 22-21, Alvarez recorded back-to-back kills to swing the lead to the Patriots for good, and Escamilla provided the set-clinching kill.
Â
The third set was a nearly-flawless effort from the UT Tyler offense, as the Patriots scored 20 of their 25 points on kills and committed just one attack error in the entire set. A 15-3 run turned a 6-5 edge into a commanding 21-8 margin, and the Patriots claimed the set, 25-13, on a block from Murray and Alvarez.
Â
Gracie Sutherland served to start the fourth set, and she served a pair of aces to help spot the Patriots to an early 7-0 lead, and
Kyana Alvarez had consecutive aces as she served a five-point run to extend the lead to 12-2. From that point on, UT Tyler maintained a lead of at least eight points and led by as many as 12 (22-10), cruising to a 25-15 victory to clinch the match on
Hattie Murray's seventh kill of the match.
Â
By The Numbers: UT Tyler tied a season-best in service receptions, surrendering just a single ace for the second time this season… The Patriots improved to 6-0 this season when posting an attack percentage of .250 or better, finishing the night at .263 after starting the match at .143 through the first two sets… UT Tyler was three digs away from a season-high in digs as a team, finishing with 83 for its third 80-dig match as a team and its first in a match shorter than five sets.
Â
UT Tyler Stat Leaders: Kylee Becker led a trio of hitters with double-figure kills, finishing with a season-high 20 kills while adding 13 digs for her sixth double-double of the season.
Christina Escamilla added 11 kills and 3 blocks, while
Hannah Callison turned in a 10-kill, 4-block performance. Â
Hattie Murray was in on 6 of the Patriots' 11 team blocks, and freshman middle blocker Maiya Peña added 5 blocks.
Â
Lubbock Christian Stat Leaders: Morgan Schwarz recorded 10 kills without an error in 20 attempts to lead the LCU offense, and Ashley Vanfleet added a team-high 11 kills. Libero Maddie Deguire notched 20 digs, and Hailey Cournoyer recorded a team-high 3 blocks including 2 solo blocks.
Â
What's Next: UT Tyler finishes the Lone Star Conference weekend series Saturday at 1 p.m., as the Patriots host Angelo State, which is 14-1 overall and a perfect 6-0 in Lone Star Conference play to start the year.
Â
