DALLAS, TEXAS – UT Tyler pushed (RV) DBU to five sets before ultimately falling 3-2 (24-27, 25-16, 25-22, 18-25, 15-10) on Friday night at the Dallas Classic.

The Patriots maintained control through each of their first and fourth set victories, but couldn't overcome a key five-point run by DBU in the deciding fifth set. Kota Hartman and Autumn Perry provided the bulk of the UT Tyler offense in the match, going for 13 kills apiece, while Hartman notched the first double-double of her Patriot career with 10 digs to go along with that kill output.

DBU ultimately prevailed in the match that last over two and a half hours and was largely balanced by both sides throughout.

DBU provided the biggest run of points in the match with a string of five straight coming out of the 6-5 mark in the fifth and deciding set.

That run came after UT Tyler forced a fifth set with a 25-18 victory in the fourth frame. The Patriots were rock solid in that set victory and in the first set, going for 13 and 12 kills in those frames, respectively.

Hartman registered 13 kills on just 30 swings to produce a hitting percentage of .333 for the match. Senior Dakota Rogers-Hurtado put forth an efficient offensive night as well, hitting .462 with seven kills on 13 swings.

The UT Tyler offense as a whole struggled to maintain balance outside of their first and fourth set wins, hitting just .143 and .105 in the second and third sets as a team. The Patriots turned in their worst offensive frame of the night in the fifth, matching six kills with six errors for a .000 team hitting percentage.

Junior Saige Rivera led UT Tyler with 16 assists. Senior Addison Evans matched Kota Hartman's team-high 10 digs on the night.

UT Tyler falls to 0-2 on the year with the loss, while DBU moves to a perfect 3-0.

UT Tyler will wrap up play tomorrow morning with their final match of the Dallas Classic at 10 a.m. against Bentley.