ARKADELPHIA, ARK. – UT Tyler volleyball completed a perfect run through the Reddie-Tiger Invitational Saturday morning, sweeping Mississippi Christian, 3-0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-18), to remain undefeated on the season. The Patriots improve to 8-0 overall after going unbeaten across four matches at the tournament.
The Patriots and Mississippi Christian battled through a back-and-forth opening set, with UT Tyler eventually beginning to separate midway through the frame. The Patriots held a 15-12 advantage before putting together a strong stretch late in the set.
UT Tyler pushed its lead to 20-17 before a pair of service aces from Mia Cross extended the advantage to 22-18. The Patriots continued to control the closing points, getting a kill from Melanie Merrill before Mississippi Christian committed a service error to give UT Tyler set point. Makhai Lewis then closed out the opening frame with an attack error by Mississippi Christian, giving the Patriots a 25-20 victory.
UT Tyler carried its momentum into the second set, overcoming an early 1-0 deficit to quickly take control. The Patriots built a 5-3 advantage before extending their lead to 11-5 following a pair of Mississippi Christian attack errors.
The Patriots continued to apply pressure throughout the set, using kills from Kailey Manes, Merrill and Maya Jones to maintain their advantage. UT Tyler led 18-12 before a service ace from Anna Arceneaux pushed the lead to 21-12.
The Patriots closed the set strong, getting a kill from Jones and a service ace from Riley Clinton before Merrill and Lewis combined for the final point. UT Tyler took the second set, 25-16, to move within one set of completing the sweep.
The Patriots scored four straight points to take a 5-1 advantage, highlighted by a kill from Manes.
UT Tyler continued to build its lead, moving ahead 14-6 after kills from Lewis and Sydney Atkinson. Mississippi Christian attempted to mount a late comeback, cutting the deficit to 22-16, but UT Tyler remained composed. Amari Clark then finished the match with a kill, giving UT Tyler the 25-18 set victory and the 3-0 sweep.
Merrill led the Patriots with eight kills, while Manes added seven kills while hitting a team-best .538. Jones recorded five kills and four blocks, while Miley Myers added four kills. Clinton directed the offense with 16 assists and added two kills, while Christiansen contributed 11 assists.
Arceneaux led UT Tyler with 11 digs, while Davis added nine digs and two service aces. The Patriots finished the match with 33 kills, eight service aces, nine blocks, 32 assists and 42 digs while limiting Mississippi Christian to a .076 hitting percentage.
With the victory, UT Tyler finishes the Reddie-Tiger Invitational unbeaten and improves to 8-0 on the season.
Jones and Manes were named to the Reddie-Tiger Invitational All-Tournament Team following their performances throughout the weekend.
The Patriots will return to action Sept. 11-12 when they take part in the Lone Star Conference Challenge.
