TYLER, TEXAS – UT Tyler volleyball moved to 9-8 on the year and 5-2 in LSC play after falling 3-0 to Lubbock Christian on Friday night inside the HPC.
The two teams went back and forth over a tight first set that featured 20 total ties and 66 total points. The Patriots rallied early with a 5-1 run that featured kills from
Alyson Robbins,
Kota Hartman, and
Jackie Velzis, but the Lady Chaps rallied back to tie the match at 11-11.
Late in the set, it was a 3-0 run that featured an error and kills from Hartman and
Audrey Brandon to make it 24-20, but the Lady Chaps again rallied as they forced the set into extra points with a 4-0 run. Four different times a team would score two straight points, but nobody was able to claim the set until the Lady Chaps connected on three straight points to earn a 34-32 win in the opener.
The Lady Chaps opened up a 6-3 lead in set two, but a 5-2 run from the Patriots that featured kills from
Kailey Manes,
Kaitlyn Davis, and
Autumn Perry, as well as an ace from Davis, gave them the lead back. That lead the team back into a back-and-forth battle up until 17-17, but again another run from the Lady Chaps saw them take the next five points, ultimately putting them on a track to a 25-20 win.
The final set saw an early 5-0 run from Lubbock Christian, followed by a 5-2 run from the Patriots to knot the set up at 9-9 as
Sydney Atkinson, Manes, and Perry tallied kills. The two teams traded runs yet again as Manes continued her tear with two more kills, but a 6-2 run from the Lady Chaps put them out in front 22-18.
UT Tyler scored four straight points behind
Jackie Velzis recording a pair of kills and
Emma Vazquez recording an ace to tie the game at 22-22, but one final run from Lubbock Christian saw them take three straight points to secure the 3-0 sweep.
Autumn Perry and
Jackie Velzis would put down 13 and 10 kills to lead the team, and
Kailey Manes added nine.
Saige Rivera dished out 34 assists and
Anna Arceneaux had 23 digs.
UT Tyler will be back in action on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. as they take on Midwestern State back inside the HPC.