LAST TIME OUT

UT Tyler volleyball closed out the regular season with a 1-1 record on its final road trip, earning a dramatic five-set comeback victory over Texas Woman's before falling to DBU in Saturday's regular-season finale. The Patriots finished the regular season 22-5 overall and 13-4 in Lone Star Conference play, securing the No. 3 seed for the Lone Star Conference Tournament and marking the program's most successful regular season since joining NCAA Division II.

The Patriots opened the weekend Friday night in Denton, traveling to Kitty Magee Arena to face Texas Woman's. After dropping the opening two sets, UT Tyler rallied to win three consecutive sets and complete an impressive 22-25, 25-27, 25-18, 25-19, 15-13 comeback victory. The win extended the Patriots' winning streak to seven matches and improved their conference record to 13-3.

Facing a two-set deficit, the Patriots responded with their strongest stretch of the night in the third set, building an early 13-7 advantage and continuing to create separation behind key offensive contributions from Maya Jones and Autumn Perry. Jones delivered the closing kill to secure a 25-18 victory and shift the momentum. UT Tyler carried that energy into the fourth set, using a run after a 13-13 tie to pull away and even the match at two sets apiece with a 25-19 win.

The Patriots carried their momentum into the deciding fifth set, opening with a 2-0 lead behind a service ace from Kaitlyn Davis and a kill from Melanie Merrill. Merrill added consecutive kills to help UT Tyler build a 12-9 advantage, but Texas Woman's battled back to even the score at 13-13. Perry answered with back-to-back kills, both assisted by Riley Clinton, to secure the 15-13 set victory and complete the comeback.

Merrill led the Patriots offensively with 22 kills, while Jones added 19 and Perry finished with 15. Kailey Manes contributed 10 kills while hitting an impressive .471 and added four total blocks. Clinton orchestrated the offense with 56 assists and added 14 digs, while Anna Arceneaux paced the defensive effort with 24 digs. Caroline Ashley contributed 13 digs as UT Tyler finished with 71 kills, 78 digs and a .250 team hitting percentage.

UT Tyler returned to the court Saturday afternoon in Dallas for its regular-season finale against DBU at the Burg Center. The Patriots fell 3-1 by scores of 18-25, 25-19, 21-25 and 19-25, closing out the regular season with a 22-5 overall record and a 13-4 mark in Lone Star Conference play. Despite the loss, UT Tyler secured the No. 3 seed in the upcoming conference tournament.

After dropping the opening set, the Patriots responded in the second with a strong offensive and defensive effort. UT Tyler opened with a 3-0 lead and continued to battle as the teams traded points. A late run helped the Patriots create separation, highlighted by a service ace from Clinton and several key blocks, before closing out the set 25-19 to even the match.

DBU regained control in the third set, building an early advantage and holding off a late Patriots push to take a 25-21 victory. The Lady Patriots then maintained their momentum in the fourth, building an early lead and keeping UT Tyler from closing the gap despite late kills from Makhai Lewis and Merrill. DBU secured the set 25-19 to earn the four-set victory.

Merrill led UT Tyler with 13 kills, while Manes and Jones each added 10. Lewis made a significant impact at the net, recording 10 total blocks, including one solo block and nine block assists. Clinton finished with 37 assists and six digs, while Arceneaux led the defensive effort with 13 digs. Ashley added 11 digs, and Davis contributed eight as the Patriots finished with 48 kills and 12 total blocks.

Despite Saturday's result, the Patriots closed the regular season with a program milestone, recording their most regular-season victories since making the move to NCAA Division II. UT Tyler now turns its attention to the Lone Star Conference Tournament, where the No. 3-seeded Patriots will travel to San Angelo to face No. 6 seed Texas A&M-Kingsville in the opening round as they begin their pursuit of a conference championship.

PATS STATS

Through 27 matches, UT Tyler has received contributions throughout its lineup, led offensively by Maya Jones. Jones leads the Patriots with 230 kills and is averaging 2.50 kills per set while hitting .259. Melanie Merrill has added 224 kills, averaging 2.43 kills per set while hitting .250, while Kailey Manes has recorded 195 kills and leads the team with a .405 hitting percentage. Autumn Perry has contributed 185 kills and leads the Patriots with 3.10 points per set, while Miley Myers has added 122 kills and is averaging 2.71 kills per set. Sydney Atkinson has also contributed 121 kills.

Defensively, Anna Arceneaux leads the Patriots with 392 digs and is averaging 4.31 digs per set. She has also recorded 304 service receptions with a .954 reception percentage. Mia Cross has added 183 digs, while Kaitlyn Davis has recorded 174 digs. At the net, Makhai Lewis leads UT Tyler with 110 total blocks, including 16 solo blocks and 94 block assists. Manes has contributed 99 total blocks, including nine solo blocks and 90 block assists, while Jones has added 61 total blocks.

Riley Clinton has directed the Patriots' offense with 659 assists, averaging 6.79 assists per set, while Ava Collins has added 170 assists in 12 matches and is averaging 4.72 assists per set. Kate Christiansen has contributed 157 assists while averaging 4.49 assists per set, giving the Patriots multiple options to lead the offense. Cross leads the team with 42 service aces, while Davis has added 35, Lewis has recorded 24, and Clinton has contributed 21.

PATS NEWS AND NOTES

• UT Tyler finished the 2025 season with a 17-12 overall record and 12-5 mark in Lone Star Conference play, advancing to the LSC Championship Semifinals for the second consecutive season. Autumn Perry earned All-Lone Star Conference First Team honors after leading the Patriots with 3.49 kills per set and 339 total kills. Kailey Manes and Jackie Velzis were named to the LSC All-Tournament Team, while Anna Arceneaux earned All-LSC Honorable Mention and LSC All-Freshman Team honors.

• Arceneaux returns for her sophomore season after a standout freshman campaign. She earned All-Lone Star Conference Honorable Mention, LSC All-Freshman Team and LSC Freshman of the Week honors during the 2025 season. She finished the year with 426 digs and averaged 4.79 digs per set, ranking among the top defensive players in the conference.

• Head coach Lyndsay Mashe is in her 11th season at UT Tyler and owns a 202-88 record with the Patriots. In 21 seasons as a head coach, Mashe has compiled a 395-209 career record. She returns alongside assistant coach Kris Mashe and graduate assistant Paola Fragalle for the 2026 season.

TEXAS A&M-KINGSVILLE

Texas A&M-Kingsville enters the matchup with an 18-10 overall record and an 11-6 mark in Lone Star Conference play, riding a one-match winning streak. The Javelinas are hitting .206 as a team with 1,396 kills through 28 matches. Texas A&M-Kingsville has also recorded 159 service aces, 1,895 digs and 208.0 total blocks on the season. The Javelinas are averaging 13.2 kills and 12.2 assists per set while allowing opponents 12.3 kills and 11.6 assists per set. Defensively, Texas A&M-Kingsville is averaging 17.9 digs and 2.0 blocks per set, compared to opponents' averages of 17.1 digs and 1.8 blocks per set. The Javelinas have committed 146 reception errors, while opponents have recorded 159. Historically, the Patriots are 6-4 against the Javelinas.