CANYON, TEXAS – UT Tyler volleyball went through a gritty battle with #10 West Texas A&M on Thursday but ultimately came up just short in a 3-0 loss in scores of 25-20, 25-21, and 25-22.
The Patriots hit .185 as a team for the match and a blistering .353 in the first set to hang tough.
Autumn Perry led that charge with 13 kills on a .231 percentage.
Saige Rivera dished out 34 total assists on the evening while also tying for the team lead in total blocks.
Set one of the day featured a gritty battle as the Patriots hung tough in the early goings.
Audrey Brandon,
Sydney Atkinson, and
Jackie Velzis each provided early kills while
Autumn Perry added a key solo block as the Patriots drew the match to 9-8 in the Lady Buffs favor.
A big run from those Lady Buffs led to a 14-10 lead and eventually a 16-11 lead, but the Patriots battled back by taking four of the next five as Perry caught fire with three kills. The Patriots would draw within two, but the Lady Buffs would keep the Patriots out at arms reach throughout the set as they eventually took a 25-20 first set win.
In set two, the Patriots and Lady Buffs came out swinging, playing to ties at 1-1, 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, 5-5, and 6-6 as neither side could find a lead. The two teams continued to trade points as Perry, Velzis, and Atkinson continued to pile up the kills.
A 4-0 run to make it 20-16 for the Lady Buffs forced a Patriots timeout, and the Patriots came right back with four of their own as Brandon earned a kill and a block with Velzis, and
Saige Rivera added a key ace to tie it up at 20. The Lady Buffs had one final run up their sleeve however, and earned a 25-21 win to lead 2-0.
The Lady Buffs began set three with a 3-1 lead, but five straight points from the Patriots thanks to an ace from
Bella Briceno, a block from
Kailey Manes and Rivera, and a kill from Atkinson pulled them ahead. The Patriots continued their run as they were paced by kills from Manes, Perry, and
Kota Hartman as they built their lead to 11-7.
West Texas A&M battled back, scoring six straight points as they earned the lead and forced a Patriots timeout. The Patriots got kills from Hartman, Atkinson, and Perry kept them within striking distance, but the Lady Buffs continued to hold the Patriots back.
Down the stretch, the Patriots rattled off two separate 3-0 runs to pull back within two, but ultimately couldn't get close enough as the Lady Buffs took a 25-22 win to secure the sweep.
In addition to Perry's 13 kills,
Sydney Atkinson added 8 and
Jackie Velzis added 7. Rivera would also lead the team with 10 digs on the night while Velzis hit an impressive .417 on her 7 kills.
