ODESSA, TEXAS – The University of Texas at Tyler volleyball program survived a five-set battle with UT Permian Basin on Friday night to begin their final weekend of the regular season with a 3-2 (21-25, 25-21, 25-21, 23-25, 16-14) victory.
 
The Patriots jumped ahead in the match with consecutive 25-21 wins in sets two and three, but had to come-from-behind in the deciding fifth set after falling behind by a 9-5 margin in the frame. Senior Mikayla Ware had 24 kills and hit .269 for the match on 67 swings, leading the offense for UT Tyler that totaled 70 kills for the night.
 
UT Tyler out-killed the Falcons by a 70-to-50 margin and had four players that finished the night with double-digit dig totals. The Patriots utilized big runs in the second and third sets to win 25-21 in each frame, and then negated a 7-1 run for UT Permian Basin in the fifth set to come back and pick up the crucial victory.
 
The Patriots used a 9-1 run in the second set to pad a 17-10 lead and then a 7-1 run in the third set to build a similar 17-11 advantage in what would be back-to-back 25-21 victories for UT Tyler after falling in the opening frame. Ware had nine kills in the second set alone, and UT Tyler put down kills for 21 out of the 25 points scored in the third set to jump out to the 2-1 lead in the match.
 
UT Permian Basin looked to have the fourth set under control with a 22-15 lead before UT Tyler rattled off eight unanswered points to lead 23-22. The Falcons managed to settle down after the strong run of Patriot play, and forced a deciding fifth set with three-straight points to win 25-22.
 
UT Tyler found themselves behind 9-5 in that fifth frame before a 6-1 run flipped the once Falcon advantage back in favor of the Patriots at 11-10. Alternating two-point runs for both teams gave each team a one-point lead at 13-12 and 14-13, before the Patriots were able to end the match with three straight points and the 16-14 fifth-set win.
 
Ware and setter Adeline Ortman both notched double-doubles as Ware added 12 digs to her 24 kills and Ortman 13 digs to her 21 assists. Addison Evans and Savannah Guzman joined Ortman and Evans with double-digit digs with 19 and 13, respectively.
 
Freshman Jeorgia Jones finished the night with nine kills, and senior Kylee Becker with eight kills to provide offensive support of Ware and Callison.
 
The win moves UT Tyler's overall record to 18-8 on the year and 11-4 in Lone Star Conference play. The Patriots finished the night in a tie for fourth place with Texas A&M-Kingsville with league records of 11-4.
 
The Patriots will conclude the 2022 regular season tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. against Angelo State