TYLER, TEXAS – UT Tyler volleyball opened its home schedule in winning fashion Wednesday night, sweeping St. Edward's 3-0 (27-25, 25-15, 26-24) at the Herrington Patriot Center to improve to 12-2 overall and 3-1 in Lone Star Conference play. The Patriots controlled the match at the net and from the service line, finishing with 41 kills, 10 total blocks, five service aces and 66 digs in front of 344 fans in their first home match of the season.
The Patriots and Hilltoppers battled through a back-and-forth opening set. UT Tyler eventually pulled ahead late, but St. Edward's answered to even the score at 25-25. Kailey Manes then delivered a kill to give the Patriots a 26-25 advantage before Autumn Perry followed with another kill to close out the set, 27-25.
UT Tyler carried that momentum into the second set, jumping out to an early lead and eventually taking control of the frame. The Patriots built a 12-4 advantage and never looked back, holding St. Edward's to a .000 hitting percentage in the set. Kaitlyn Davis provided a spark from the service line with two aces, while the Patriots continued to pressure the Hilltoppers offensively on their way to a 25-15 victory and a 2-0 match lead.
The third set once again came down to the wire. St. Edward's opened the frame with a 9-3 lead before UT Tyler responded with an 6-0 run to tie the set at 9-9. The two teams continued to trade points throughout the remainder of the set. After St. Edward's tied the score at 24-24, UT Tyler regained the lead on an attack error before Autumn Perry finished the match with a kill to secure the 26-24 victory.
Atkinson paced the Patriots offensively with 11 kills while hitting .435 and adding four blocks for a team-high 13.5 points. Jones also reached double figures with 10 kills while hitting .333 and contributing four block assists. Perry finished with eight kills, while Lewis added four kills without committing an attack error and hit .400.
Manes contributed four kills and a team-high seven blocks, helping UT Tyler finish with 10 total blocks. Arceneaux led the defensive effort with 20 digs, while Davis added nine.
The Patriots will remain at home Friday when they welcome UT Permian Basin to the Herrington Patriot Center for another Lone Star Conference matchup.
