SHAWNEE, OKLA. – UT Tyler entered the win column for the first time in 2024 on Friday afternoon with a 3-2 (25-15, 16-25, 27-25, 18-25, 18-16) victory over Southwestern Oklahoma State.

The Patriots faced set point in the third set and match point in the fifth set against the Bulldogs, but found ways to win in both frames in extra points to open the OBU Fall Tournament on the right side of the decision.

Junior Kota Hartman led the UT Tyler offense with 18 kills and notched her second double-double in a Patriot uniform with 13 digs. Classmate Makhai Lewis played a big part in the victory as well, totaling 15.5 points with nine kills and a team-high five service aces.

UT Tyler managed their first comeback in the third set after each side traded decisive first and second set victories. The Patriots rattled off four straight points after trailing 23-19 to even the frame up at 23-23.

A service error on the Patriots set up the Bulldogs to take the set and a 2-1 lead in the match, but a 4-1 run for UT Tyler capped off by kills from Hartman and Dakota Rogers-Hurtado allowed the Patriots to win 27-25.

Southwestern Oklahoma State won set four 25-18 to set up a fifth and final set, a third frame in which the winning side didn't allow the opposition to reach the 20-point mark, while the other two sets each went extra points.

UT Tyler once again found a way to win in extra points for a second time in the match despite an early 8-4 advantage for the Bulldogs. The Patriots came back and tied the match at 9-9 and then jumped ahead for the first time in the set at the 13-12 mark a few points later.

Southwestern Oklahoma State strung together a kill and a service ace to threaten with match point at 14-13. Sophomore Autumn Perry, who joined Hartman with double-digit kills with 11, put down a key kill to tie it back up at 14-14 before Hartman put UT Tyler back ahead 15-14.

The Bulldogs once again answered facing match point for a second time with two points of their own, before Hartman's 18^th kill of the night and two attack errors for the Bulldogs resulted in three unanswered points for UT Tyler to win 18-16.

UT Tyler totaled 58 kills as a unit in the match, posting a .154 hitting percentage with those 58 kills in 162 swings.

Hartman went for her 18 kills on 53 swings, posting a .132 hitting percentage for the match. Lewis provided an efficient outing with her nine kills on just 17 swings for a .471 hitting percentage.

Senior Makayla Villarreal led UT Tyler with 16 digs. Junior Saige Rivera totaled a team-high 29 assists.
The Patriots will play a second match on Friday at 7:30 p.m. against host Oklahoma Baptist.