FORT SMITH, ARK. – The University of Texas at Tyler suffered a 3-0 (25-16, 25-22, 25-16) loss at the hands of UAFS on Wednesday night.

The 3-0 defeat marks the first time the Patriots have been swept in a Lone Star Conference match since the final game of the 2019 season, and brings UT Tyler's overall record to 15-8 on the year and 8-4 in LSC play. UT Tyler committed 22 attacking errors on the night, while UAFS put down 39 kills in 110 swings for a .300 team hitting percentage.
 
Senior Mikayla Ware led the way offensively with 10 kills, while Evelyn Torres and Hannah Callison chipped in eight and seven kills, respectively. Senior Savannah Guzman notched 16 digs on the night to provide a bright spot for a shaky Patriot defensive effort.
 
UAFS opened a 14-5 lead in the opening frame and then led by 10 points at the 21-11 mark to set the tone for what would be the Lions best outing of the 2022 season. UT Tyler found themselves down quickly in set two after the 25-16 loss in the opening frame, trailing 10-5.
 
The Lions led by 10 once again in set two at the 20-10 mark before the Patriots came soaring back with a run of five straight points to cut the deficit to 21-18. That margin became just two at the 23-21 mark before UAFS capitalized on their fast start to the second frame with a 25-22 win.
 
Set three was much of the same as UAFS fed off of another fast start to a 25-16 third set victory and snapped the UT Tyler four-match winning streak heading into the contest.
 
The Patriots matched the Lion's kill total for 39 in the match, but simply couldn't put an end to costly attacking errors to finish the night with just a .140 hitting percentage. UAFS added seven blocks and seven service aces to the effort to complete the upset victory over the Patriots.
 
UT Tyler will return home this weekend for their final home matches of the 2022 season on Friday against St. Mary's and on Saturday against St. Edward's.