DENTON, TEXAS – UT Tyler women's volleyball continued its late-season surge Friday night, overcoming a two-set deficit to defeat Texas Woman's in five sets at Kitty Magee Arena. The Patriots battled back to earn the 22-25, 25-27, 25-18, 25-19, 15-13 victory, extending their winning streak to seven matches and improving to 22-4 overall and 13-3 in Lone Star Conference play.
The Patriots faced an early challenge against the Pioneers, who entered the night with a 10-15 overall record and a 7-8 mark in conference play. Texas Woman's claimed the opening two sets, putting UT Tyler in a difficult position before the Patriots responded with three consecutive set victories to complete the comeback.
UT Tyler opened the match with a competitive first set, trading points with the Pioneers throughout the early stages. The Patriots held a 17-16 advantage midway through the set, but Texas Woman's responded to create separation late. UT Tyler continued to fight, closing the gap to 24-22 before the Pioneers recorded the final point to take the opener, 25-22.
The second set featured another tight battle, with neither team able to establish consistent separation. UT Tyler found itself trailing late but continued to push the Pioneers, eventually tying the score at 24-24. The teams traded points into extra play, but Texas Woman's managed to secure the final two points for a 27-25 win and a 2-0 match advantage.
Facing the possibility of a sweep, the Patriots responded with their strongest stretch of the night in the third set. UT Tyler built an early lead and used a run of points to create separation, moving ahead 13-7. The Patriots continued to control the set as their offense found its rhythm, with Maya Jones and Autumn Perry providing key kills during the run. UT Tyler pushed its advantage to 24-14 before Texas Woman's scored four consecutive points. Jones eventually ended the set with a kill, giving the Patriots a 25-18 victory and cutting the match deficit to 2-1.
The momentum carried into the fourth set, where the Patriots delivered another strong offensive performance. The teams remained close early before UT Tyler began to pull away. With the score tied at 13-13, the Patriots put together a run to take control. UT Tyler continued to build its lead, reaching a 24-18 advantage before Melanie Merrill finished the set with a kill. The 25-19 victory evened the match at two sets apiece and forced a deciding fifth set.
UT Tyler carried that momentum into the final frame, opening with a 2-0 lead behind a service ace from Kaitlyn Davis and a kill from Merrill. The Patriots maintained their advantage through the middle of the set, with Merrill delivering consecutive kills to help UT Tyler move ahead 12-9. Texas Woman's refused to go away, however, scoring four of the next five points 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. Manes contributed 10 kills and hit .471, while also recording four total blocks. Clinton orchestrated the offense with 56 assists and added 14 digs. Defensively, Anna Arceneaux led UT Tyler with 24 digs, while Caroline Ashley contributed 13.
As a team, the Patriots finished with 71 kills and a .250 hitting percentage while recording 78 digs, 64 assists, seven service aces and seven total blocks. UT Tyler's ability to respond after dropping the first two sets proved decisive, as the Patriots won three straight sets to claim their seventh consecutive victory.
The Patriots will look to carry their momentum into another conference road matchup Saturday when they travel to Dallas to face DBU. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m.
