TYLER, TEXAS – UT Tyler volleyball continued its strong start to the season Friday night, sweeping UT Permian Basin, 3-0, at the Herrington Patriot Center. The Patriots took the opening set, 25-21, before closing out the match with 25-17 and 25-13 victories to improve to 13-2 overall and 4-1 in Lone Star Conference play.
UT Tyler established control early in the opening set, but UT Permian Basin stayed within striking distance throughout the frame. The Falcons held an 11-6 advantage before the Patriots rallied to even the set at 11-11. UT Tyler continued to build momentum from there, taking a 20-19 lead before scoring five of the final seven points to secure the 25-21 victory.
The Patriots carried that momentum into the second set. After UT Permian Basin took an early 6-2 lead, UT Tyler steadily chipped away before taking control. The Patriots turned a 10-6 deficit into a 12-11 advantage and continued to extend their lead throughout the remainder of the set. UT Tyler closed the frame on a 11-4 run to claim the 25-17 victory and move within one set of the sweep.
UT Tyler saved its most dominant offensive performance for the third set. The Patriots opened with a pair of points from Mia Cross at the service line and quickly established an advantage. After the Falcons briefly tied the score at 4-4, UT Tyler responded with a 9-5 run to take a 13-9 lead.
The Patriots continued to pull away behind strong offensive and defensive play. UT Tyler pushed its advantage to 20-11 before finishing the match by scoring five of the final seven points. Maya Jones delivered the final kill, securing the 25-13 set win and the straight-set sweep.
Manes paced the Patriots with eight kills on 11 attacks for a .636 hitting percentage while adding three total blocks. Lewis followed with five kills without committing an attack error and contributed seven total blocks. Atkinson recorded six kills while hitting .308, and Autumn Perry added seven kills.
Clinton guided the UT Tyler offense with 15 assists, while Ava Collins added eight assists. Anna Arceneaux led the defensive effort with 18 digs, while Mia Cross finished with 11 digs. UT Tyler totaled 59 digs and limited UT Permian Basin to a .035 team hitting percentage.
The Patriots return to action Saturday at 2 p.m., hosting Angelo State at the Herrington Patriot Center.
