DALLAS, TEXAS – UT Tyler fell by a 3-1 (25-14, 23-25, 25-18, 25-22) final to (RV) Angelo State in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Lone Star Conference Volleyball Championship Tournament on Thursday afternoon in Dallas.
 
The Patriots evened the match up at 1-1 after a slow start in the opening frame, but couldn't manage to find their footing in the third and fourth sets to drop the match. UT Tyler will now await their postseason fate and hope to earn one of six available at-large bids into the 2023 NCAA South Central Regional Tournament as part of the 2023 NCAA Division II National Tournament.
 
The winners of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) and Lone Star Conference (LSC) Championship Tournaments will receive the two available automatic qualifying bids into the tournament, while the final six teams of the eight-team South Central Regional Tournament field will be at-large bids determined by the NCAA selection committee.
 
The tournament field will be announced via an online selection show on Monday, Nov. 20^th.
 
That 2023 NCAA Division II South Central Regional Tournament is scheduled for Nov. 30-Dec. 2^nd at the no. 1 seed's host site.
 
Junior Sophie Connor led the Patriots on Thursday afternoon with 15 kills, reaching the double-digit kill threshold for a fifth straight match. Connor totaled those 15 kills on just 33 swings and posted a .333 hitting percentage for the match.
 
Outside hitters Brylee Peterson and Shaye Koski each notched eight kills in offensive support of Connor.
 
The UT Tyler offense as a whole struggled to find efficiency throughout the afternoon, totaling just 42 kills on 154 swings for a .117 team hitting percentage. The Patriots committed 24 hitting errors as a team, 13 of which were caused by blocks from the Angelo State defense.
 
UT Tyler had their best set offensively in the second frame, recording 15 kills on 37 kills. The Patriots led 20-16 and then scored three out of the final four points in the frame to secure the 25-23 victory.
 
Angelo State opened up a 17-11 lead in route to a 25-18 win in the third set and then closed out the match with a 4-1 run to secure a 25-22 fourth frame win to advance to tomorrow's semifinals. The Rambelles will play the winner of the West Texas A&M and Texas Woman's quarterfinal match tomorrow at 5 p.m. inside the Burg Center.
 
Junior Makayla Villarreal led UT Tyler with 14 digs while setter Adeline Ortman notched 29 assists.
 
Monday's selection show will air at 6:30 p.m. via NCAA.com.