TYLER, TEXAS – UT Tyler volleyball returned home in style on Friday night to open up Lone Star Conference play with a 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-22) victory over Oklahoma Christian.

The Patriots totaled 15 or more kills in all three sets, hitting .303 as a unit, and featured a trio of heavy hitters in Autumn Perry, Kota Hartman and Jackie Velzis on the offensive side of the net. Perry hit .345 on the night with a team-high 13 kills, while Hartman and Velzis each reached double-digit kill totals with 12 and 10 respectively.

The return home to the Herrington Patriot Center was exactly what the Patriots needed to start Lone Star Conference play out on the right foot and find fluidity in their offense. Setters Saige Rivera and Riley Clinton both played at an elite level running the offense, while libero Addison Evans notched a double-double with a team-high 15 digs and 10 assists.

UT Tyler out-killed Oklahoma Christian by a 60-to-42 margin on the night, going for 15, 19 and 16 kill totals in each frame.

The Patriots started set one off quickly with a 7-3 lead, maintaining at least a three-point cushion for the remainder of the set following the 8-6 mark. A key point in the match came at the heart of the second frame after the 25-19 opening set victory that was all Patriots, as UT Tyler rattled off seven unanswered points after trailing by as many as four midway through.

That seven-point run flipped what was a 15-13 advantage for Oklahoma Christian into a 20-15 UT Tyler lead and effectively ended any momentum the Eagles generated after the fast start to the set.

Oklahoma Christian tried to fight their way back into the match once again in the third set despite trailing 2-0, opening an 8-3 advantage in the early goings.

An 8-2 run for UT Tyler that featured a pair of key kills from Velzis, reignited the UT Tyler offense and gave UT Tyler their first lead of the set at the 12-11 mark. A pair of errors for the Patriots handed the advantage back over to the Eagles at 13-12, before three straight UT Tyler points gave the Patriots a lead that they would not squander for the remainder of the match.

UT Tyler had their best offensive output as a unit in that third frame, hitting .406 with 16 kills on just 32 swings to win 25-22.

Middle blockers Dakota Rogers-Hurtado and Makhai Lewis both played solid at the heart of the Patriot floor in the sweep, notching six kills apiece while posting hitting percentages of .417 and .357, respectively. Rivera notched a double-double from her setter position, pairing her team-high 20 assists with 10 digs.

The win moves UT Tyler's overall record to 4-5 on the year and 1-0 in Lone Star Conference play.

The Patriots will stay at home for a Saturday afternoon meeting against Cameron at 2 p.m.