UT Permian Basin Volleyball rallied from down 2-1 in Saturday's five-set win over St. Edward's.
 
Aquincia Strambler finished with a game-high and season-best 21 kills. Mayce Barker was also big on the attack, providing a career-high 14 kills.
 
Down 1-0, the Falcons used a 5-0 answer for their first lead of the match. Barker started and ended the run with kills. UTPB upped the advantage to 11-5 after an attack error and held a lead of as many as six on six other occasions in set one. The Hilltoppers cut it to 21-18 late, but Barker added another pair of kills to take set one by a 25-20 score.
 
Aquincia Strambler and Daylee Doggett started the Falcons on a 5-0 run in set two with a kill and service ace respectively. UTPB eventually held a 7-1 lead before SEU answered with a 19-6 run to lead 20-13. The Falcons rallied back with a 4-0 answer and eventually closed it to 24-23, but the Hilltoppers evened the match with a 25-23 win in set two.
 
Both sides held a slim lead early before SEU opened up a 7-3 advantage. UTPB retook the lead when Taurie Magee and Strambler began a 6-2 run with kills to help make it 12-11. SEU then answered with a 7-0 run to lead by six. Strambler and Gloria Geurin added two kills each during a 4-1 run to cut it to 21-18, but the Hilltoppers finished with the final four to take the third set, 25-18.
 
A pair of kills from Strambler and an ace from Magee helped the Falcons get out to a 4-0 lead in the fourth. SEU cut it to one on three occasions before UTPB took an 18-10 lead with an 11-4 run. SEU got it back to seven late, but Strambler forced a fifth set with a kill by a 25-17 score.
 
The Hilltoppers led out of the gate of set five. UTPB tied it five times before eventually taking a 10-9 lead on a Kaitlyn Bustamante ace. SEU then retook the lead with the next two. Barker gave the Falcons a 12-11 advantage with a kill before the Hilltoppers again scored two in a row for a 13-12 score. Barker answered back with another kill for a 13-13 tie before a bad set by St. Edward's put UTPB within a point. Doggett then setup Strambler for the match-clinching kill in a 15-13 win in set five.
 
Strambler's 21 kills came with two blocks and two block assists.
 
Barker added five digs and two block assists to go with her 14 kills.
 
Devin Alcoser led the team with 18 assists and added 15 digs.
 
Doggett finished with a team-high 17 digs and led the game with three aces.
 
The Falcons (11-10 | 6-4 LSC) will next take on Texas A&M International at home on Friday, October 21.
 
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