UT Permian Basin Volleyball made a statement Tuesday, sweeping St. Edward's to advance to the quarterfinals of the Lone Star Conference postseason. It is the team's second straight quarterfinal appearance. The Falcons got big nights from
Taurie Magee, 12 kills, and
Aquincia Strambler, 11 kills, on offense.
Analise Lucio continued her terrific season with 34 assists and three aces.
Isela Murillo led the defense with 24 digs while
Daylee Doggett added 13.
The Falcons trailed early in the first set, falling behind 3-0 to start the match. They chipped away at the deficit and eventually took the lead with a 4-0 run. After exchanging points back and forth, the Falcons opened up the lead with another four-point run to go up 16-10. They didn't look back, taking the set 25-16 on a pair of errors by the Hilltoppers and a pair of aces from
Analise Lucio.
The second set was much more closely contested with the Falcons trailing for much of the early part of it. Neither team could gain momentum as both teams exchanged extended point runs. Things shifted the way of the Falcons with the team trailing 16-13. A kill by
Stephanie Sanchez, block by
Taurie Magee, and an error tied the set at 16. The Falcons continued to pour it on. A kill by Magee gave the Falcons a lead they wouldn't relinquish the rest of the way, taking the set 25-19.
The offense refused to let up heading into the third set. The Falcons jumped out to an early three-point lead, but a run by the Hilltoppers kept them in the set. The set was tied at eight, before the Falcons took control to finish off the match. They took control with an 8-1 run. The Hilltoppers made things interesting with a run of there own but the Falcons closed out the set 25-23.
"The team showed great resilience tonight," said Head Coach
Tim Loesch. "They changed their line-up in set three and a couple of calls didn't go our way, but the team didn't let up. To travel as far as we did and sweep a quality team isn't easy."
The defense held the Hilltoppers to just a .097 hitting percentage and forced 22 errors.
The Falcons advance to the quarterfinals where they will take on host UA Fort Smith. First serve is scheduled for 6 PM from the Stubblefield Center. Download the UTPB Athletics App to follow the action all season long.
