SAN ANGELO, TEXAS – UT Tyler volleyball battled all the way to the final point on Friday night as they suffered a 3-0 loss to the hands of (RV) and #1 seed Angelo State in the LSC Tournament Semifinals.
 
The Patriots were within four points in each of the three sets on the night as they held the Rambelles to just a .192 attack percentage. The Patriots however hit .172 as a team as they came up just short down the stretch in each set.
 
The Patriots took a slim advantage in set one at 6-4 as they led off with kills from Kailey Manes, Jackie Velzis, Autumn Perry, and Faith Wilkins, but the Rambelles battled back to take a 13-11 lead as they found their stride. The two teams then settled into a back-and-forth affair with Perry, Alyson Robbins, and Velzis each connecting on kills, but a 3-0 run from Angelo State would close out the set and give them the 1-0 lead.
 
Set two saw the Rambelles took the early advantage, but a 3-0 run from the Patriots as Perry and Velzis recorded kills and Anna Arceneaux added an ace to tie it back up at 4-4. That would be the first of 15 ties in the set as the two teams refused to give either the edge. Sydney Atkinson, Manes, and Velzis continued hunting kills in the middle portion of the set, and they would continue the pressure as they helped the Patriots take a 19-18 lead. The Rambelles answered with a 4-0 run, but UT Tyler continued to fight back as Velzis got a big kill and then Perry and Wilkins combined for a big block to tie the match at 24-24, but the Rambelles would close the set with two straight points to go up 2-0.
 
Set three would start with a flurry for the Patriots as they led 7-4 thanks to three kills and a pair of solo blocks to kick things off. Angelo State battled back, evening the match at seven before the two teams settled into another close fight. The Rambelles took a 13-10 lead, but again the Patriots had the battle as they ripped off three straight points and four out of five as Manes and Velzis picked up kills to make it 14-14. Angelo State again took the lead at 19-16, but again the Patriots fought back as they got two big errors from the Rambelles and Velzis added another kill to tie the match again.
 
The Patriots had one final run to put together as they went down 23-20, and they got it as Manes and Velzis combined on a block while Perry and Velzis added kills, but ultimately they couldn't grab the edge as Angelo State closed the set with two straight points.
 
Jackie Velzis led the team with 10 kills on the night, with Kailey Manes and Autumn Perry adding nine each. Saige Rivera dished out 21 assists, while Perry, Rivera, Emma Vazquez, Riley Clinton, and Anna Arceneaux each posted double digit dig totals.
 
UT Tyler will now anxiously await their NCAA Tournament fate as they sit right on the bubble in the south central region. The NCAA Selection Show will air on Monday, November 24^th, at 6:30 p.m. central time on NCAA.com.