TYLER, TEXAS – UT Tyler volleyball secured a huge 3-2 win over Texas Woman's on Friday night in scores of 27-29, 18-25, 25-23, 25-14, and 20-18 to move into a tie for fourth place in the LSC standings on Friday night inside the Herrington Patriot Center.
 
Jackie Velzis and Autumn Perry each tallied 18 kills and hit over .200 for the match while Kailey Manes added in 12 as the Patriots tallied 72 kills as a team while holding Texas Woman's to 67 kills and a .193 attack percentage.
 
The first set of the match would provide a clue to the evening's affairs, going several points past 25 but the Pioneers would take a 29-27 win. A big 5-0 run would run their lead out to 12-5, but the Patriots slowly dug their way out as Velzis ripped three kills in a 7-1 run from the Patriots that cut the deficit to one. A 3-0 run late would even the match up as Perry and Audrey Brandon connected on a kill each, and Manes took her turn with two more as the Patriots led 24-22. However, the Pioneers fought off four set points to come back and take a 1-0 lead.
 
After a marathon first set, the Patriots came out of the gates with their worst set of the night in the second, hitting just .045 with eight errors as the Pioneers took control of the match. UT Tyler held an early lead and was up 9-7, but a 5-0 run that stretched into a 7-1 run flipped the script. The Patriots got kills from Perry, Manes, and Anna Arceneaux to stem the tide, but a 4-0 run closed the set.
 
The third set featured a strong Pioneers start as they took an 11-6 advantage, but a big kill from Sydney Atkinson and a block from Manes started to get the wheels turning at 11-8. Texas Woman's would stretch the lead back out to 16-9, but a pair of kills from Velzis and a block from her and Manes contributed to a 5-0 run that cut the lead to two at 16-14. The Pioneers would go back up three, but another huge kill from Atkinson and a kill and an ace from Perry put the Patriots in front. Down the stretch of the set, Alyson Robbins found a huge kill of her own along with two more from Manes to take a 24-23 lead. Atkinson would take one more rip in the third to keep the Patriots alive, and after a challenge the call would be overturned in favor of UT Tyler to take the set.
 
That newfound momentum swung the match right back into the hands of UT Tyler, as they delivered their best hitting set of the night in the fourth. They hit .406 and held the Pioneers to just .152 as they cruised to a 25-14 win. Velzis would tally three kills in the opening six points as the Patriots raced out to a 7-1 lead that would grow into a 12-4 lead as Robbins and Manes added to their totals. The Pioneers would never get closer than four points throughout the set as the Patriots leaned on Perry, Atkinson, and Robbins to close out the set and force a fifth.
 
The offense saw Velzis, Perry, and Manes kick off the fifth set with three kills, taking a 3-1 lead. The Pioneers bounced back, and the teams began going point-for-point up until Texas Woman's took a 9-7 lead. The Patriots responded with a key 4-0 run spurred on by strong serving from Emma Vazquez and kills from Perry and Atkinson, and UT Tyler led 11-9.
 
Two big errors from the Pioneers would bring the score to 14-11 Patriots, and suddently the Patriots were on the doorstep. Texas Woman's would dig deep again, earning three straight points and tying the match. That forced the teams into another back-and-forth affair as Robbins and Atkinson delivered huge swings, but the Pioneers would take two straight to lead 18-17 and be just one point away from the big win. Manes put together one of the best swings of the night to tie the match, and Vazquez again stepped to the service line to perfection, helping force an error and then ending the night on an ace as UT Tyler took the 3-2 win.
 
Sydney Atkinson and Alyson Robbins added nine and eight kills to the Patriots total for the night, and setters Saige Rivera and Riley Clinton dished out 37 and 24 assists. Arceneaux, Rivera, and Vazquez each hit double digits in digs, with Arceneaux leading the way at 33. She would join Vazquez with a pair of service aces on the night.
 
UT Tyler will now host DBU on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. inside the HPC for Senior Day as they look to wrap up the regular season on their home court.