WICHITA FALLS, Texas – The UT Tyler volleyball team lost three straight sets after winning the opening set, falling in four sets to Midwestern State, 15-25, 25-23, 25-23, 25-16, Saturday afternoon.
 
The Patriots were two points away from claiming a 2-0 lead in the match when they tied the second set at 23-23, but Midwestern State scored the next two points and repeated the close victory in the third set to take control of the match. UT Tyler took its only lead of the fourth set on a Mustang service error to open the fourth set, but Midwestern State responded to regain the lead for good and cruise to the match-clinching fourth-set victory.
 
Kaitlyn Budisalovich led both teams in kills with 13, and Kyana Alvarez finished as the match digs leader with 16.
 
With the loss, UT Tyler drops to 6-6 overall and 1-3 in Lone Star Conference play, while Midwestern State improves to 3-9 overall and 1-3 in the Lone Star.
 
How It Happened: Kyana Alvarez registered kills on all four of her attack attempts in the opening set, adding four digs and an ace to lead UT Tyler to a strong start with a 25-15 win in the first set.  Alvarez had two of her four kills during a 10-4 run which extended UT Tyler's 7-5 lead into a 17-9 advantage. The Patriots also registered five blocks in the opening set.
 
There were 14 ties and three lead changes in the second set, and neither team held a lead of more than three points as Midwestern State rallied to score six of the final nine points in the set after Alvarez recorded a kill which gave the Patriots a 20-19 edge.
 
The third set featured five more ties and three more lead changes, and Midwestern State rallied again late, this time erasing the largest lead by either team in the set after a Christina Escamilla kill pushed the Patriots in front, 23-19. The Mustangs reeled off six straight points to repeat the 25-23 set win and take a two sets-to-one lead in the match.
 
The Mustangs pulled away early in the fourth set, posting a 14-7 run which turned a 7-5 edge into a commanding 21-12 lead. Midwestern State avoided the UT Tyler block completely in the fourth set, registering 13 kills with only three errors on 30 attempts in the set.
 
By The Numbers: For the second straight match, UT Tyler posted its best single-set hitting percentage of the match in the first set (.370) while MSU's most efficient sets were the third (.324) and fourth (.333) sets… Statistically, the teams were nearly even, with UT Tyler edging ahead in kills (47-45) while Midwestern State claimed advantages in blocks (13-10) and digs (48-47)… Both teams recorded five service aces.
 
UT Tyler Stat Leaders: Kaitlyn Budisalovich was the match kills leader for the second consecutive match, finishing with 13 kills while Christina Escamilla added 12 kills.  Escamilla recorded 7 of her 12 kills in the third set. Kyana Alvarez added 6 kills, 2 aces, and a match-high 16 digs, and Savannah Guzman also notched double-digit digs with 13.  Kayla McCoy collected a team-high 6 blocks, and Taylor Stoops distributed a match-high 26 assists.
 
Midwestern State Stat Leaders: Sarah Eakin was the Mustangs' lone player with double-digit kills, finishing with 12 kills and only one error on 29 attempts to lead an offense which featured three more players with at least six kills.  Eakin also recorded a match-high 7 blocks, while Lauren Honeycutt and Raven Presley each had a hand in five of MSU's 13 team blocks.
 
What's Next: UT Tyler returns home for a pair of Lone Star Conference matches next week, hosting Lubbock Christian on Friday, Oct. 4, followed by a Saturday afternoon matchup with Angelo State at the Louise Herrington Patriot Center.