A&M International box score
Huston-Tillotson box score
The University of Texas of the Permian Basin picked up its second-straight Heartland Conference sweep, taking a 3-0 ( 25-15, 27-25, 25-22) victory over Texas A&M International, moving it into a tie for third play in league play.
The Falcons rode the right arms of
Melissa Lusk and
Alex Genung, who combined for 18 of the team's 40 kills with Lusk leading the way with 10 without committing an error. As a team, the Falcons hit .168 while holding the Dustdevils to a .085 hitting percentage.
The two teams exchanged points to open the first set until an 8-2 run by the Falcons broke an 8-8 tie giving them a 16-10 advantage. Lusk had three kills during that stretch and finished with five for the set. Defensively, libero
Danae Eckart ended with a match-high 28 digs, nine of which came in the first set. A&M International closed the gap to three (17-14) on a kill by Alex Ciszek, but the Falcons out-scored it 8-1 the rest of the way for the early match lead.
The second set went back-and-forth as it was tied 10 times while neither team took more than a three point lead. With the score tied at 10, the Dustdevils used a 4-1 run to go up 14-11 capped off with an attack error by the Falcons. A&M International would hold the lead until a ball handling error by Miranda Pratt tied the set at 20.
Keeley Brogdon finally gave the Falcons the lead with a service ace, putting them up 22-21. UTPB eventually led 24-22, but three-straight points by the Dustdevils gave them a 25-24 edge. Coming out of a timeout, the Falcons closed out the set with three-straight points after an attack error by Andrea Marshall ended the second frame, giving UTPB a 2-0 set advantage.
The Falcons trailed just once in the third and deciding set after a setting error gave the Dustdevils a 9-8 edge, but a 3-1 run gave UTPB the lead for good. It went up by as many as seven (19-12), but was unable to close out the match until an A&M International attack error stopped a 9-3 run, giving the Falcons their second sweep in as many matches. The victory moved UTPB to 5-4 in conference play 13-12 overall.
In the second match of the afternoon, the Falcons made quick work of Huston-Tillotson, taking a 3-0 (25-8, 25-20, 25-16) win over the Rams. UTPB garnered 45 kills to the Rams' 17 with
Terra Peil collecting a team-high nine. Freshmen
Ryley Carman and
Jasmine Cannon both had seven kills each, while
Jessica Escalante picked up nine kills in the back row as the libero.
The Falcons will hit the road for a pair of Heartland Conference matches as they take on league-leading St. Edward's at 7 p.m. on Thursday in Austin followed by a noon date with Dallas Baptist the following Saturday.
