DENTON, TEXAS – UT Tyler volleyball split their final two games and ultimately the entire TWU Volleyfest with a win over Arkansas Monticello and a loss to Arkansas Tech on Saturday.
 
ARKANSAS MONTICELLO
 
Against the Cotton Blossoms, the Patriots hit an impressive .308 for the match and an incredible .407 in the third and final set as they swept the Cotton Blossoms by scores of 25-20, 25-22, and 25-9.
 
The first set of the day saw the Patriots race out to an 8-4 lead early on as Kota Hartman, Autumn Perry, Kailey Manes, Chelsea Caskey, and Jackie Velzis each earned a kill in those first eight points. Audrey Brandon, Caskey, and Hartman kept up the offensive onslaught as the Patriots continued to run their lead up, this time up to 19-14. The set would finish with two straight kills from Caskey, who had six in the first set alone.
 
The second set featured a different start, as the Cotton Blossoms ran out to an 8-5 lead that would hold at 10-8. That run would be halted by a big Patriots effort as they scored five of the next six points thanks to a pair of kills by Velzis and another from Manes while the two also combined on a block.
 
That run continued after the Cotton Blossoms interrupted with a kill, and the Patriots would score seven of the next eight to take a 20-13 lead as the defense showed out with Perry, Brandon, and Hartman each recording blocks. The Cotton Blossoms showed some late fight, but Perry would close out the set with a pair of kills.
 
In the third and final set, the tone was set early as the Patriots went on an 8-0 run to race out to an 11-3 lead. Arkansas Monticello answered with two points, but a 7-0 run from the Patriots that featured kills from Caskey, Hartman, and Brandon as well as two aces from Vazquez extended the lead to 19-5. The Patriots would put the icing on the cake to close out the match, scoring four of the last five points to earn the 25-9 dominant win.
 
Chelsea Caskey led the way with 12 kills on a .267 percentage, and she was joined in double figures by Kota Hartman who had 11 kills on a .286 percentage. Caroline Ashley had a team-high 19 assists, and Bella Briceno had a team high 16 digs.
 
ARKANSAS TECH


The Patriots battled tough in all three sets against the Golden Suns, but ultimately the offensive percentage slipped in each set as Arkansas Tech outlasted the Patriots efforts to hold onto the win.
 
An early back-and-forth battle saw the teams knotted up at 5-5 as Jackie Velzis led off with a kill while Kailey Manes added an ace. Five straight points from Arkansas Tech opened up a big lead, and later a 4-0 run opened up the lead all the way out to 17-9.
 
The Patriots would dig themselves back into the set, scoring six of the next eight points as Velzis and Autumn Perry each added two kills in the run. The Golden Suns would hold a 22-18 lead late, but a 4-1 run that featured another key kill from Velzis, a kill from Kota Hartman, and a second ace from Kaitlyn Davis cut the lead down to one. That run would come up just short as one final block would seal the set for the Golden Suns.
 
In set two, Arkansas Tech began with a 4-0 run that eventually grew to 9-4 in the early going. The Patriots continued to battle, getting kills from Davis and Hartman and an ace from Emma Vazquez to cut the lead to just two at 11-9. They got within one at 13-12 after another kill each from Hartman and Davis, but a 5-0 Golden Suns run extended the lead again.
 
A 6-2 run from the Patriots saw four kills from Autumn Perry as well as a block from her and Audrey Brandon as the Patriots clawed back in. However it would be just short again as Arkansas Tech pulled out the 25-21 win in set two.
 
Set three saw a back-and-forth battle open up the set as the teams battle their way to a 9-9 start. The Golden Suns would open up a big run, outscoring the Patriots 7-1 to open up a 16-10 lead. The Patriots answered with two separate 3-0 runs of their own as Faith Wilkins, Perry, and Alyson Robbins added kills, but the Golden Suns would ultimately do just enough to keep the Patriots at arm's reach and earn the 25-22 set win.
 
Perry would lead the Patriots with 13 kills on 28 swings for the match, and Saige Rivera dished out 17 assists. Bella Briceno added a team-high 16 digs.
 
The Patriots will be back in action next week with the LSC Challenge taking place at West Texas A&M. There they will face off with the #5 Lady Buffs on Thursday at 6 p.m. and then #2 Angelo State on Friday at 6 p.m. to wrap up non-conference play.