For the third straight season UT Permian Basin Volleyball won their first round Lone Star Conference playoff match, this time defeated No. 9 seed St. Mary's in straight sets.  It was familiar faces leading the way with Analise Lucio and Aquincia Strambler carrying the team.  Lucio recorded her 16^th double-double of the year with 32 assists and a team high 15 digs while Strambler carried the offense with 15 kills on a .297 hitting percentage.
 
The first set was a back-and-forth affair with neither side able to lead by more than two throughout the entire set.  The Rattlers led 18-16 but three straight kills by Mayce Barker, as part of a 4-1 run, flipped the script and put the Falcons in front.  That was all the team needed as they closed the set on a kill by Isela Murillo.
 
It was all Falcons in set two.  The Rattlers struggled to get their offense going allowing the Falcons to go on a 7-1 run on four errors.  A 6-0 Falcon run, with four straight Rattler errors, extended the lead to 19-7.  The Rattlers made a run of their own but it wasn't enough as Erika Lozano closed things out with an ace.
 
An early 5-1 run in the third set was all the Falcons needed to take control.  Back-to-back kills by Barker pushed the lead to three before a 3-0 Falcon run solidified their lead.  With all the momentum Taurie Magee ended the night with a kill and the sweep.
 
Barker finished the night with 10 kills while hitting .381.  Three Falcons joined Lucio with double digit digs.  Lozano finished with 13, Daylee Doggett with 12, and Isela Murillo with 10.  The Falcons finished with nine aces, tying a season high. 
 
The Falcons advanced to the LSC Quarterfinals Thursday night against top seed and host Angelo State.  First serve is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.  Download the UTPB Athletics App for the latest news on your favorite Falcon teams.