MAGNOLIA, ARK. – UT Tyler volleyball opened the 2026 season with a pair of victories Friday at the Mulerider Invitational, sweeping Arkansas-Monticello before knocking off No. 12 Central Oklahoma in four sets. The Patriots took down the Blossoms, 25-8, 25-20, 25-17, before battling the nationally ranked Bronchos to a 27-25, 21-25, 25-20, 25-21 victory.
ARKANSAS-MONTICELLO
The Patriots wasted little time establishing themselves in the opening match, racing past Arkansas-Monticello in three sets while hitting .330 as a team and holding the Blossoms to a .063 hitting percentage.
UT Tyler broke open the first set with a 10-1 run that turned a close 3-3 start into a 13-4 advantage. The Patriots continued to pile on from there, eventually pushing the lead to 21-5 before closing out the opening frame, 25-8.
The second set saw the Blossoms respond after UT Tyler jumped ahead 11-2. Arkansas-Monticello scored five straight points to cut the deficit to four before a strong serving stretch helped bring the set all the way back to a 15-15 tie.
The Patriots answered the comeback by eventually pushing the lead to 23-19 before closing out the set, 25-20.
The Blossoms again battled early in the third set, staying within one at 12-11. The Patriots then put together the decisive run, scoring six straight points to take an 18-11 advantage. Arkansas-Monticello attempted one final push, scoring four consecutive points to cut the deficit to 20-17, but UT Tyler responded by taking the final five points of the match to complete the sweep.
Maya Jones, Sydney Atkinson, Autumn Perry and Melanie Merrill led the Patriots offensively, with Atkinson totaling nine kills, Jones eight, and Perry and Merrill six and seven, respectively. Merrill was particularly efficient, hitting .538 on 13 attacks. Ava Collins and Riley Clinton combined for 29 assists, while Anna Arceneaux paced the defense with 16 digs.
NO. 12 CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
The Patriots then faced No. 12 Central Oklahoma in their second match of the day, earning a hard-fought 3-1 victory by scores of 27-25, 21-25, 25-20 and 25-21. UT Tyler hit .244 for the match and finished with 60 kills, 10 total blocks and 69 digs.
The first set featured 11 ties and five lead changes as neither team could find much separation. UT Tyler quickly went up with three straight points to go ahead 3-0. The Bronchos responded with two points, however the Patriots eventually took a 7-4 advantage.
The back-and-forth continued throughout the set, UT Tyler took advantage of a Collins service ace and a kill from Atkinson to make it 16-16.
Later, the Patriots took a 19-17 lead following a Maya Jones kill, but the Bronchos battled back to tie the set at 20-20. The Patriots then moved ahead 22-20, but once again the Bronchos knotted the set back up at 23.
The teams continued trading points down the stretch, reaching 24-24 before Central Oklahoma took a 25-24 lead. UT Tyler refused to let the set slip away, scoring the final three points behind an error from Central Oklahoma and a pair of points involving Perry and Cross to take the opening frame 27-25.
Central Oklahoma responded in the second set, taking advantage of a strong middle stretch to even the match. UT Tyler led 14-13 after a Cross service ace, but the Bronchos answered by scoring nine of the next 12 points to take a 22-17 advantage.
The Patriots attempted to fight back with a kill from Jones and another point from the offense, cutting the deficit to 23-19, but Central Oklahoma finished the set with the final two points to even the match at one set apiece, 25-21.
UT Tyler responded with its best sustained run of the match in the third set.
Central Oklahoma jumped out to a 3-0 lead to begin the frame, but the Patriots steadily worked their way back eventually making it 6-6. UT Tyler grabbed their first lead behind kills from Manes and Perry and a pair of Central Oklahoma attack errors. That stretch pushed the Patriots ahead 10-6.
The Bronchos battled back, eventually cutting the deficit to 13-11, but UT Tyler answered with another important run. The Patriots scored five of the next seven points, including kills from Perry and Jones, to build a 19-13 advantage.
Central Oklahoma responded with a 3-0 run to pull within 19-16, but UT Tyler immediately regained momentum. The Patios lead would grow to 22-16. Central Oklahoma made one final push late, but UT Tyler closed the set 25-20 to take a 2-1 match lead.
The fourth set again featured several momentum swings, with Central Oklahoma taking an early 5-1 lead after a four-point run. UT Tyler steadily chipped away, eventually cutting the deficit to 10-7 before continuing its comeback.
The Patriots pulled even at 15-15 behind a pair of Kaitlyn Davis service aces and a kill from Atkinson. Central Oklahoma regained a one-point advantage at 18-17, but UT Tyler answered with another key run.
With the score tied 19-19, the Patriots took control by scoring four straight points. The run started with an attack that forced an error, then followed with a service ace and another kill before Perry added another kill to push UT Tyler ahead 23-19.
Central Oklahoma answered with two points to make it 23-21, but UT Tyler closed the match with back-to-back points. Merrill delivered the final kill to give the Patriots a 25-21 fourth-set victory and a 3-1 win over the No. 12-ranked Bronchos.
Merrill led all Patriots with 19 kills while hitting .432 and totaling 22 points. Perry added 16 kills, while Atkinson finished with 10 kills and 12 points. Jones contributed eight kills, while Clinton recorded 27 assists and Collins added 22. Arceneaux anchored the defensive effort with 23 digs, while Cross added 10.
With the two victories, UT Tyler moves to 2-0 on the season and will close out the Mulerider Invitational Saturday with a pair of matches, taking on LeMoyne-Owen at noon before facing host Southern Arkansas at 2 p.m.
