UTPB Athletics

RICHARDSON, Texas (October 3, 2026) – The University of Texas Permian Basin women's volleyball team led 2-0 and was just three points away from winning the third set and securing its first Lone Star Conference win of the season, but a comeback for The University of Texas at Dallas instead resulted in a 3-2 (22-25, 21-25, 27-25, 25-21, 15-12) reverse sweep for the Comets over the Falcons on Saturday at the UTD Activity Center.

Two pivotal runs in the first set saw UTPB score five straight points to go from down 14-12 to up 17-14 and then score four of the next five points after a 17-17 tie to put the Falcons in control up 21-18. The 5-0 run saw a service ace by Emma Gonzalez to make it 15-14 Falcons and then ended with back-to-back kills by Precious Johnson. Then the 4-1 run saw four kills from four different Falcons (Kaitlyn Salgado, Makenna Grimes, Addison Parks, Nickilah Whatley).

UTD made it a one-point deficit twice in the late stages of the opening set, but a solo block by Whatley got the Falcons to 23-21 and then a Comets' service error got it to set point (24-22). On the next point, an attack error by the Comets gave the Falcons the 25-22 win and the 1-0 lead.

UTPB trailed 17-16 in the second set before Johnson bookended a 3-0 run with a kill and a solo block to make it 19-17 Falcons. Then tied at 19-19, another kill by Johnson again started a 3-0 run, this time featuring a kill by Whatley followed by a block assist by Whatley and Grimes to make it a 22-19 lead. Whatley kept it going with another kill to make it 23-20, a kill by Parks made it 24-21, and a kill by Salgado finished off the 25-21 win to put the Falcons just one set away from securing their first conference win of the season.

Similarly to the first set, a 5-0 run in the third set helped the Falcons erase a two-point deficit, and similarly to the second set, it was a kill by Johnson getting the run started. Down 9-7, a kill by Johnson was followed by block assists involving Johnson on three of the next four points, making it 12-9 Falcons.

As the third set continued, an ace by Isabel Rodriguez made it 14-10, a kill by Whatley – having one of her best matches of the season – made it 15-11, and then an ace by Whatley made it 18-13. An assist by Kierra Freeman on the kill by Salgado made it 19-13 to keep the momentum on the Falcons' side for the time being, and then the pair connected again to make it 20-15. Another ace by Gonzalez, the ninth ace of the afternoon by the Falcons, made it 21-15; and then Gonzalez had the assist on another kill by Salgado, her third kill in the last four points for UTPB, to make it 22-17.

It was a 23-19 lead after a service error by the Comets, but from there, the wheels fell off for the Falcons. UTD proceeded to score five straight points, taking a 24-23 lead on an assisted block to give the Comets their first set point of the match. Parks finally stopped the run with a kill on the assist from Gonzalez to tie it at 24-24, and then a kill by Sydney Bradley assisted by Freeman tied it at 25-25.

The two teams had been down this road before, playing to scores of 33-31 and 28-26 in their first two sets during the LSC Challenge earlier this season in Odessa, Texas (Sept. 10). However, unlike those previously mentioned sets, this time UTD would not be denied as back-to-back kills by Jane Burkhardt delivered the 27-25 win.

UTPB totaled five service aces in the first set, 19 kills in the second set and six blocks in the third set, but the fourth set was controlled by UTD.

The Comets hit .312 percent (13 kills, 3 errors) and had three aces in the fourth set while the Falcons committed five service errors, including a crucial service error to give the Comets set point (24-21) and set up the 25-21 win on another kill by Burkhardt.

Burkhardt added to her career afternoon with six kills in the fourth set, and she would have to be delt with if UTPB wanted to win it in the fifth set.

Burkhardt's 24th kill of the match made it a 4-2 Comets' lead in the fifth set, and UTD continued to call her number as her 25th kill made it 5-2. An attack error by Burkhardt helped UTPB cut it to a two-point deficit (6-4), but then her 26th kill made it 7-4.

Doing her best to keep pace with Burkhardt was Parks, who with a pair of kills kept the Falcons within striking distance down 7-5 and 8-6. Parks then delivered an ace to make it a one-point deficit (9-8), the 12th ace of the match for the Falcons. Good fortune helped the Falcons tie it (9-9) as a dig by Rodriguez on the attack from Morgan Helms dropped in for a kill on the other side of the net.

Starting with a kill by Helms to put the Comets right back in front (10-9), UTD scored four straight points to take back control and led 13-9 after an assisted block by Burkhardt and Laura See followed by back-to-back kills from the middle of the court by See.

Another kill by Burkhardt made it 14-10, and then three points later she finished off the match with another kill. She totaled at least six kills in four of the five sets, including the fifth set.

UTD hit .267 percent (10 kills, 2 errors) in the deciding fifth set while UTPB hit .173 percent (8 kills, 3 errors).

Despite the loss, UTPB led 93-79 on points, 67-65 on kills, 12-7 on aces and 14-7 on blocks. It was a season-high in both aces and blocks for the Falcons.

UTPB was paced by Salgado with 19 kills and 15 digs while Parks added 18 kills on .333 percent hitting. Whatley provided 11 kills on .333 percent hitting as well while also adding seven blocks and six service aces. Johnson finished with nine kills and seven blocks and Sydney Bradley had four kills to go along with six blocks. Freeman totaled 28 assists and 18 digs, Gonzalez totaled 25 assists, Kyndall Torres added 14 digs, and Rodriguez finished with 12 digs.

For UTD, Burkhardt's career-high 28 kills came on 81 total attempts. In addition, Scarlette Young, the national leader in NCAA Division II in triple-doubles, posted her fifth triple-double of the season with 14 kills, 29 assists and 20 digs.

It was a heartbreaking loss for UTPB (5-8 overall, 0-7 LSC), not just because the Falcons won the first two sets, but because they led by five points late in the third set with a chance to sweep. UTD (8-7, 4-2), meanwhile, is vying for a spot in the top-eight in the LSC standings in just its second season in NCAA Division II. Each of the Comets two conference losses this season have come against teams either ranked or receiving votes in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) National Poll.

The Falcons have only one match next week as they begin a four-match homestand by taking on No. 7-ranked Angelo State University starting at 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 10.