ODESSA, Texas (October 17, 2026) – Despite three close sets, The University of Texas Permian Basin volleyball team lost 3-0 (25-22, 27-25, 25-21) to Texas Woman's University on Saturday at the Falcon Dome.
Early service errors by the Pioneers kept the Falcons in it throughout the first set. The Pioneers' third service error of the set started a 5-0 run by the Falcons that ended with three straight TWU attack errors and gave UTPB its first two-point lead of the afternoon (10-8). The fourth TWU service error of the set made it 11-9, the fifth made it 13-12, and the sixth made it 14-13.
Both teams were hitting under .000 percent to start off the match, but it was TWU that got its attack straightened out a little bit quicker than the Falcons. After UTPB fell behind by two points (17-15), TWU's seventh service error of the opening set made it a one-point margin, and then UTPB tied it at 17-17 and 18-18 on kills by
Giselle Orellana and
Makenna Grimes, respectively. After the Falcons this time fell behind by three points (22-19), back-to-back kills by
Kaitlyn Salgado got UTPB back to within one (down 22-21), but then the Falcons' first service error of the match made it 23-21 and instead put the Pioneers just two points away from winning the first set, which they did 25-22.
TWU outhit UTPB .244-.083 percent to win the first set despite committing seven service errors.
The second set came down to the wire to decide a winner, and unlike the first set that was all about service errors, this one was all about attack errors. UTPB led the for the first half of the set, going up 2-0 on back-to-back attack errors by TWU to start off the set and then going up 6-2 as five of the Falcons' first six points of the set came thanks to a Pioneer attack error. UTPB later led 11-8 after the seventh attack error of the set by the Pioneers and led 12-10 after their eighth attack error.
As the second set reached the midway point, the Falcons led 13-10 on a kill by Salgado and 14-11 on a kill by
Sydney Bradley, but TWU regrouped to take a 15-14 advantage. As the lead began to switch back-and-forth, back-to-back kills by
Precious Johnson and Orellana assisted by
Carson Peoples made it 16-15 Falcons, but then UTPB fell behind 20-17. UTPB battled back to within one (21-20) on back-to-back kills by
Nickilah Whatley and Salgado, and then two more kills by Salgado tied it at 22-22.
During one of the most important calls of the match, another attack error by the Pioneers tied the set at 23-23, but a successful challenge by TWU challenging a tip by the Falcons overturned the point and gave the Pioneers set point up 24-22 instead. Again, UTPB battled back, getting the seventh kill of the second set by Salgado, her fourth kill in the last seven points. UTPB then tied it at 24-24 and 25-25 on the ninth and 10th attack errors of the set by TWU. However, it was kills number 19 and 20 of the set for TWU that made the biggest difference in the end and resulted in a 27-25 victory for the Pioneers to take a 2-0 set lead.
Just as eye-popping as 10 attack errors was, so was 20 kills for the Pioneers, who still managed to out-hit UTPB .172-.164 percent in the second set.
In addition, the first two sets of the match were distinguished by a combined 18 tied scores.
Needing to win the third set to keep the match going, UTPB got things started with an ace by
Kierra Freeman and an assisted block by Whatley and Orellana to lead 2-0. After that, however, the Falcons suffered a slow start to the set offensively, committing five attack errors (-.400 percent) and falling behind 9-4 on an ace by TWU.
The final set was characterized by a higher number of shorter rallies. As the set went on, back-to-back block assists by the Falcons made it a 9-8 deficit, the second ace of the set by Freeman made it a 16-14 deficit, and an ace by Salgado made it a 23-20 deficit, but just like it did in each of the first two sets, TWU was able to came out on top, this time by a score of 25-21.
The final set saw TWU limit UTPB to six kills and nine attack errors (-0.120 percent).
Salgado totaled 11 kills for the Falcons and was followed by Orellana with nine. It was Orellana's most kills in the last seven matches for UTPB. Both setters (Freeman – 13 assists, 10 digs; Peoples – 10 assists, 10 digs) record double-doubles and were joined in double-digit digs by libero
Kyndall Torres (10 digs).
UTPB falls to 5-11 overall and 0-10 in the Lone Star Conference while TWU, with just its second road win of the season, improves to 7-13 and 4-6. The Pioneers closed last season in sixth in the LSC and advanced to the LSC Tournament for the third straight season. At the LSC Tournament, TWU defeated three-seed West Texas A&M University and advanced to the LSC Tournament Semifinals for the first time since 2019.
Next up, UTPB will finish off its current stretch of four straight home matches vs. Sul Ross State University at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, October 20. The last time this season the Falcons played in a Tuesday night conference match, they fell 3-2 at Western New Mexico University (Oct. 7).
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