LAST TIME OUT

UT Tyler volleyball enters this week's road matches riding a six-match winning streak after completing a perfect 2-0 week in Lone Star Conference play. The Patriots earned a milestone four-set victory over Texas A&M-Kingsville before celebrating Senior Day with a three-set sweep of Texas A&M International. The two victories improved UT Tyler to 21-4 overall and 12-3 in conference play.

The Patriots opened the week Friday night at the Louise Herrington Patriot Center, earning a hard-fought 23-25, 28-26, 25-22 and 25-20 victory over Texas A&M-Kingsville. After dropping the opening set, UT Tyler responded by winning three consecutive sets to secure the match and mark the 200th career victory at UT Tyler for Head Coach Lyndsay Mashe, further solidifying her place as the winningest volleyball coach in program history.

The Patriots faced a four-point deficit in the second set before battling back to even the match. With the score tied late, Kailey Manes and Autumn Perry combined for a key block to give UT Tyler a 25-24 advantage before the Patriots closed out the 28-26 victory. UT Tyler carried that momentum into the third set, building a 20-16 lead before Maya Jones delivered the closing point in a 25-22 win. The Patriots then overcame an early 10-6 deficit in the fourth set, using timely offensive contributions and key blocks to pull away and secure the 25-20 victory.

Jones led the Patriots with 17 kills while hitting .351, while Melanie Merrill added 14 kills and Manes contributed 13 kills and six block assists. Perry finished with 11 kills, while Makhai Lewis was highly efficient offensively, recording eight kills without an attack error to hit .571. Riley Clinton directed the offense with 60 assists and added 10 digs, while Mia Cross led the Patriots with four service aces. UT Tyler finished with 70 kills, 70 digs and 12 total blocks while holding the Javelinas to a .190 hitting percentage.

UT Tyler returned to the court Saturday afternoon for Senior Day, celebrating its seniors with a dominant 3-0 sweep of Texas A&M International by scores of 25-20, 25-13 and 25-23. The Patriots controlled much of the afternoon, hitting .304 as a team while limiting the Dustdevils to a .127 hitting percentage.

The Patriots gradually created separation in the opening set, using back-to-back kills from Merrill to close out a 25-20 victory. UT Tyler then came out firing in the second set, jumping out to a 6-0 lead and continuing to build its advantage before securing a 25-13 win. Texas A&M International made things more competitive in the third set, battling the Patriots to a 17-17 tie. UT Tyler responded by creating separation and moving within a point of the match at 24-20. After the Dustdevils fought off three match points, Manes delivered the final kill to complete the 25-23 set victory and the Senior Day sweep.

Autumn Perry led the Patriots with 11 kills, while Manes added 10 kills and hit an impressive .529. Merrill contributed nine kills while hitting .400, and Jones added eight kills at a .444 clip. Lewis recorded five kills while hitting .400 and contributed four block assists. Clinton paced the offense with 32 assists, while Cross led the defensive effort with 11 digs. Arceneaux added 10 digs, and Kaitlyn Davis contributed two of the Patriots' five service aces.

The two victories extended UT Tyler's winning streak to six matches and improved the Patriots to 21-4 overall and 12-3 in Lone Star Conference play as they continue their push toward the postseason.

The Patriots will take their winning streak on the road next weekend for a pair of Lone Star Conference matchups. UT Tyler travels to Denton to face Texas Woman's on Friday, Nov. 6, at 6 p.m. before heading to Dallas for a Saturday, Nov. 7, matchup against DBU at 2 p.m.

PATS STATS

Through 25 matches, UT Tyler has received contributions throughout its lineup, led offensively by Maya Jones. Jones leads the Patriots with 201 kills and is averaging 2.42 kills per set while hitting .270. Melanie Merrill has added 189 kills, averaging 2.28 kills per set while hitting .249, while Kailey Manes has recorded 175 kills and leads the team with a .409 hitting percentage. Autumn Perry has contributed 167 kills and is averaging 2.83 kills per set, while Sydney Atkinson has added 121 kills. Miley Myers has recorded 117 kills in 16 matches and leads the Patriots with 2.79 kills per set.

Defensively, Anna Arceneaux leads the Patriots with 355 digs and is averaging 4.33 digs per set. She has also recorded 270 service receptions with a .956 reception percentage. Mia Cross has added 169 digs, while Kaitlyn Davis has recorded 156 digs. At the net, Makhai Lewis leads UT Tyler with 98 total blocks, including 14 solo blocks and 84 block assists. Manes has contributed 93 total blocks, including eight solo blocks and 85 block assists, while Jones has added 56 total blocks.

Riley Clinton has directed the Patriots' offense with 566 assists, averaging 6.43 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 40 service aces, while Lewis has added 24 and Clinton and Arceneaux have each recorded 19.

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 201-87 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 WOMANS

Texas Woman's enters the matchup with a 10-15 overall record and a 7-8 mark in Lone Star Conference play, riding a three-match winning streak. The Pioneers are hitting .177 as a team with 1,169 kills through 25 matches. Texas Woman's has also recorded 124 service aces, 1,603 digs and 203.0 total blocks on the season. The Pioneers are averaging 12.4 kills and 11.5 assists per set while allowing opponents 12.0 kills and 11.2 assists per set. Defensively, Texas Woman's is averaging 17.1 digs and 2.2 blocks per set, compared to opponents' averages of 17.9 digs and 2.0 blocks per set. The Pioneers have committed 153 reception errors while opponents have recorded 125. Historically, the Patriots lead the series 10-4 against the Pioneers. 

DALLAS BAPTIST (RV)

DBU enters the matchup with a 20-4 overall record and a 13-2 mark in Lone Star Conference play, riding a five-match winning streak. The Patriots are hitting .258 as a team with 1,099 kills through 24 matches. DBU has also recorded 167 service aces, 1,157 digs and 173.0 total blocks on the season. The Patriots are averaging 13.4 kills and 12.5 assists per set while allowing opponents 11.1 kills and 10.5 assists per set. Defensively, DBU is averaging 14.1 digs and 2.1 blocks per set, compared to opponents' averages of 13.1 digs and 2.1 blocks per set. DBU has committed 119 reception errors while opponents have recorded 166. The Patriots hold a historical record of 7-7 against Dallas Baptist, with the first matchup dating back to 2004.