COSTA MESA, Calif. (September 13, 2025) – For the second day in a row, The University of Texas Permian Basin volleyball team battled back from down two sets to zero to force a fifth set in its second match of the day, but this time around, the Falcons could not pull off the victory. Instead, UTPB finished its trip to California with a 3-2 (25-16, 25-19, 23-25, 17-25, 15-11) defeat against Stanislaus State. In addition, in its first match of the day, the Falcons suffered a 3-1 (24-26, 25-10, 25-14, 25-22) loss against the host team from Vanguard University.
 
Match 1 (UTPB 1, Vanguard 3):

• A block assist by Lauren Demuth and Kierra Freeman tied the first set at 16-16 before a kill by Nickilah Whatley on a Vanguard blocking error gave UTPB its first lead (17-16) since the score was 5-4.
• After a timeout by Vanguard, Demuth and the Falcons came out with a service ace to make it a two-point edge (18-16).
• A setter dump by Freeman made it 19-17, but then the Falcons fell behind 20-19 after three straight kills by the Lions.
• A block assist by the Lions made it a 21-19 advantage and drew a Falcons' timeout.
• Coming out of the timeout, UTPB got a big stuff on a solo block by Kimaya Webb, and then tied the match (21-21) on an assisted block by Webb and Sydney Bradley.
• A kill by Bradley gave the Falcons back the lead (22-21), and then a service ace by Isabel Rodriguez made it 23-21 to force the second timeout of the opening set by Vanguard.
• Tied at 23-23, UTPB got a big kill by freshman Makenna Grimes, but could not close out set point as a kill by the Lions just dropped in before the Falcons could dig it up.
• Not to be deterred, Demuth answered with a big swing and a kill assisted by Freeman, and then after a long rally that saw a couple of tries by both teams, it was Grimes who finally put down the kill to end it.
• Grimes led the Falcons with five kills on .364 percent hitting during the opening set while Freeman dished out 11 assists and freshman Kyndall Torres made the most of her starting libero opportunity with nine digs.
• However, the UTPB offense went awry in the next few sets as the Falcons hit -0.135 percent in the second set and -0.185 percent in the third set.
• After seeing Vanguard finish off a dominating second set on a 12-0 scoring run, the Falcons called a timeout facing a 9-3 deficit after a 7-0 Lions' run in the third set.
• After the timeout, UTPB went on a 5-1 run ending with back-to-back service aces by Emma Gonzalez and an assisted block by Freeman and Demuth to draw to within two points (10-8).
• Vanguard responded with a 5-1 run of its own to lead 15-9, and then after a kill by Whatley and an assisted block by Webb and Amyah Collins made it 15-11, UTPB would only score three more points for the rest of the set.
• After watching the Lions finish the third set on a commanding 10-3 run to take a 2-1 set lead, the Falcons' hitters began to have some fun in the fourth set as Whatley and Grimes combined for nine kills halfway through the set and helped give UTPB a 15-13 lead.
• However, Vanguard answered with its second 5-1 run in as many sets to take an 18-16 lead. UTPB's only point during the run came thanks to a service error.
• Trailing 20-18 after a Falcons' timeout, Whatley responded with back-to-back kills, the latter of which was good for her 12th and final kill of the match and tied the score at 20-20.
• However, after a kill by Delaney Hill to give Vanguard back the lead, back-to-back attack errors by Webb made it 23-20 and gave Head Coach CJ Allard no choice but to call another timeout.
• The match was over four points later after a service error by Whatley.
• As good as the UTPB hitters (14 kills; 2 errors; .364 pct.) were in the final set, Vanguard (19 kills; 2 errors; .486 pct.) was even better.
• Whatley finished with 12 kills and was followed by Grimes with 10, Bradley with eight and Demuth with six.
• Freeman finished with 21 assists and 13 digs, Torres totaled 17 digs, and Webb had four blocks.
• UTPB finished with 10 service aces for the second match in a row, but also gave up double-digit blocks for the second time this season.
• It was a block party for Vanguard in the middle two sets as the Lions registered four blocks in the second set and five blocks in the third set.
• The Vanguard Lions are competing in their first season as full members of NCAA Division II.

 
Match 2 (UTPB 2, Stanislaus State 3):

• UTPB came out on point, earning two blocks, a kill and a service ace to lead 4-0 in the first set.
• A kill by Grimes followed by the second solo block of the set by Bradley made it an 8-3 start for the Falcons.
• However, Stanislaus came back to tie it at 9-9 with a 5-0 run, and that was just the beginning of a bigger 16-4 run that put the Warriors ahead 20-13.
• UTPB trailed 15-13 in the second set before a 4-0 run featuring three kills by Bradley to go up 16-15.
• Tied at 17-17, that is unfortunately where UTPB ran out of gas as the next six points all went to Stanislaus, which saw the run end with a red card on the Falcons.
• Clinging to a 20-19 lead late in the third set after back-to-back UTPB attack errors and a Falcons' timeout, UTPB then gave up back-to-back kills to the Warriors to fall behind 21-20.
• Coach Allard called his second timeout after calling his first timeout of the set just two points earlier, and the Falcons were finally able to stop the 4-0 scoring run as Whatley came up with a kill to tie the match at 21-21.
• UTPB tied to stay with it and force another set as back-to-back kills by Grimes on assists from Freeman made it 23-22 Falcons.
• Tied at 23-23, an overpass by the Warriors saw Demuth take advantage with a kill to get the Falcons to set point, and then Demuth finished the set off herself with another kill.
• Demuth had four kills in the third-set victory for the Falcons while Grimes had six.
• Early in the fourth set, four straight kills by the Falcons, the final two of which came from Grimes with her 13th and 14th kills of the match, made it a 10-5 Falcons' lead.
• A service error by Stanislaus stopped a 4-0 run for the Warriors that got them to within one (11-10). That was the beginning of a 6-1 Falcons' run featuring two kills by Whatley and two service aces by Demuth and Freeman to make it 17-11.
• A 6-0 Falcons' run ending with an ace by Torres and back-to-back kills by Grimes and Bradley got UTPB to set point up 24-15. Three points later, a kill by Grimes assisted on by Freeman forced one last set.
• After recording six kills in the third set, Grimes totaled seven kills in the fourth set.
• Whatley and Freeman teamed up on a kill for the first point of the fifth set, and a kill by Bradley made it 2-0.
• Tied at 4-4, Freeman took advantage of her opportunity on a setter dump to give the Falcons back the lead, and then after an attack error by the Warriors made it 6-4, Stanislaus took a timeout.
• The Warriors battled back to tie it at 6-6 with a kill and a service ace, and then tied at 8-8, back-to-back kills by Christallynn Tate put Stanislaus ahead 10-8.
• Another kill by Tate made it 11-9, forcing a UTPB timeout.
• After the timeout, a kill by Whatley got the Falcons' deficit to just one point (11-10), but Tate again asserted herself with her fifth kill of the set.
• That was followed by a Falcons' attack error, and then a kill by Isabella Saucedo got the Warriors to match point.
• Needing four points to keep the match going, UTPB came out of its final timeout with a kill by Whatley, but another kill by Saucedo on the next point was all she wrote.
• It was a disappointing finish for the Falcons after battling back from two sets down to force a fifth set for the second time in as many days.
• Grimes led UTPB with a career-high 18 kills on .304 percent hitting. She also added a career-best 13 digs for her second double-double of the weekend.
• Whatley added 15 kills while Bradley also reached double-digits with 11 kills.
• One day after notching 41 assists, this time Freeman dished out a new career-high with 42 assists and added 15 digs for her second double-double of the day. She was also responsible for four of UTPB's seven service aces in the match, and has accumulated 10 aces over UTPB's last three matches.
• Torres notched an early career-high of 23 digs.
• Coming into the season, the Warriors were receiving votes in the AVCA/TARAFLEX Division II Preseason Poll.
• The 14 blocks given up by the Falcons against the Warriors were the most blocks allowed by UTPB in a match since November 4, 2023, at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith.

 
Team Record:

• UTPB is 2-6 heading into the Lone Star Conference Crossover.
• All four matches this weekend were the first for UTPB against its respective opponent.

 
Next Up: Next up for UTPB will be the Lone Star Conference Crossover, hosted by Oklahoma Christian University. The Falcons will first take on the host Eagles in a "Battle of the Birds" at 6 p.m. on Thursday, September 18, followed by a matchup against Lubbock Christian University at 6 p.m. on Friday, September 19.