TYLER, Texas -- With Friday's four-set win at home over Cameron University, the UT Tyler volleyball team claimed its first season sweep of a Lone Star Conference opponent, as four players reached double figures in kills to lead the Patriots to the 25-22, 23-25, 25-15, 25-20 victory Friday night.
 
Kyana Alvarez led the way with a match-high 17 kills, and Savannah Guzman notched her fourth 20-dig performance of the year with exactly 20 digs.  The Patriots posted a five-set road win over Cameron three weeks ago in the first meeting between the Lone Star Conference divisional rivals, and Friday's four-set win secured UT Tyler's season sweep of the Aggies.
 
With the victory, UT Tyler improves to 9-12 overall and 4-9 in Lone Star Conference play.  The Patriots are now 2-5 in divisional play.  Cameron falls to 6-18 overall, 2-11 in the LSC, and 1-6 in the division.
 
How It Happened: The Patriots opened the match with a 25-22 win, seizing command early with four straight points after conceding the first point to Cameron on an attack error.  UT Tyler extended the lead to as many as seven points, taking its largest lead of the opening set at 16-9 after consecutive Makenna Bartlett service aces.  The Patriots still held a six-point advantage as late as 22-16 before Cameron got within two points twice before Jayden Thompson's kill completed the 25-22 opening-set win.
 
The second set featured 10 tie scores and 5 lead changes, and the Patriots erased a late 23-19 deficit with four straight points, tying the set at 23-23.  However, Cameron broke the tie on a Caitlyn Henderson kill and claimed the 25-23 set victory on a Patriot attack error.
 
UT Tyler never trailed in the third set, turning a tight 13-11 lead midway through the set into a convincing 25-15 victory.  The Patriots closed out the set with a 12-4 run, and Christina Escamilla helped score three of the final four points of the set with a pair of kills and a block assist. Kylee Becker, Maiya Peña, and Kyana Alvarez each recorded two kills in the final 12-4 burst.
 
There were five more lead changes in the final set, as the Patriots answered an early 3-0 deficit with a 9-4 run.  After Cameron regained the lead at 12-11, Becker and Escamilla combined for three consecutive kills to spark a 7-1 run that gave UT Tyler an 18-13 lead.  The Patriots led by at least three points the rest of the way, and Becker delivered the match-clinching kill for the 25-20 win.
 
By The Numbers: UT Tyler registered at least 16 kills in all four sets, and the Patriots offense clicked into gear after the teams split the first two sets… The Patriots posted a match-high .382 attack percentage in the 25-15 third-set win and hit .217 in the fourth set, as well… UT Tyler finished with huge advantages in kills (67-38), aces (6-1), and digs (84-62), while Cameron posted an 11-9 edge in blocks… The Patriots' 67-kill total was its second-highest of the season, surpassing its total in five other matches that lasted five sets.
 
UT Tyler Stat Leaders: Kyana Alvarez had a productive 17-kill, 16-dig effort, and she also served two aces to help lead the Patriots to the four-set win.  Kylee Becker added 15 kills, while Maiya Peña added 13 kills and Christina Escamilla finished with 11 kills.  Taylor Stoops registered her third-highest assist total in a match this year with 44 assists, and she was one of four Patriots who reached double figures in digs as she collected 11.  Savannah Guzman led the defensive effort with 20 digs, while Makenna Bartlett added a season-high 17 digs along with two aces.  UT Tyler registered nine team blocks, and Jayden Thompson was in on five of them for her best blocking performance of the season.
 
Cameron Stat Leaders: Shantalle Demirjian led Cameron in kills with seven, and Arianna Navarrete added six kills.  Setters Katherine Manning and Desiree Marmolejo combined for 29 assists, and libero Peyton Little was the Aggies' digs leader with 18.  Caitlyn Henderson recorded a match-high eight blocks, putting a hand in all but three of Cameron's 11 team blocks.
 
What's Next: UT Tyler closes out the Lone Star Conference home weekend with a Saturday matchup at 1 p.m. against division-leading University of Arkansas-Fort Smith (UAFS).  The Patriots go back on the road next weekend before finishing the 2019 season with back-to-back matches, home and away, against Texas A&M-Commerce.