ODESSA, Texas (October 31, 2026) – The University of Texas Permian Basin volleyball team lost 3-0 (25-23, 25-18, 25-22) to Midwestern State University during Senior Day at the Falcon Dome.
It was Senior Day for No. 9
Isabel Rodriguez, No. 12
Precious Johnson, No. 13
Nickilah Whatley, No. 15
Sydney Bradley, and
Jaylee Mills, who were each recognized moments before first serve.
Leading the effort from the seniors was Whatley with 10 kills on just 14 swings (1 error, .643 percent). Johnson had four kills on eight swings (0 errors, .500 percent) and added two block assists, Bradley had four block assists, and Rodriguez totaled five digs.
Standing out from the non-seniors were
Kierra Freeman with 16 assists and 12 digs and
Kaitlyn Salgado with 12 kills and eight digs.
UTPB led 5-3 in the first set after a kill and a service ace by Whatley on back-to-back points, but MSU proceeded to score seven points in a row on a run starting with a UTPB service error and featuring three UTPB attack errors. Then back-to-back kills by MSU's Nyle Mathis capped what was in all a 9-1 run as the Mustangs doubled up the Falcons at 12-6.
UTPB battled back to within two points (18-16) on a service ace by
Emma Gonzalez followed by a kill by Salgado, and later an MSU service error was followed by a kill from
Giselle Orellana to make it just a one-point deficit (20-19).
However, the MSU attack began to heat up, recording a kill on three of the next five points to get the Mustangs to set point up 24-20. Then after back-to-back blocks by Whatley to make it a 24-22 and force an MSU timeout, a kill by Salgado made it 24-23 as UTPB was threatening, but a misplay on a dig attempt by the Falcons instead gave the Mustangs the first-set victory on a kill by Isabella Dickens on the assist from Macy Scheer.
After winning the opening set with 18 kills, MSU was red-hot in the second set, totaling 20 kills and just two attack errors (.391 percent) in a dominating performance. After a 7-0 run early in the first set, MSU nearly did it again with a 6-0 run even earlier in the second set, getting a pair of kills by Dickens on two of the first three points of the run before three straight kills by Mathis to make it a 6-1 start to the set for the Mustangs. After back-to-back kills by MSU's Aaliyah Toppin took the Mustangs' lead from 10-8 to 12-8, MSU led by at least three points for the rest of the set and took its largest lead of the match (24-16) toward the end of the set.
In the third set it was UTPB's turn to go on an early run, going on a 6-1 run with Whatley serving to take a 7-2 lead. The final two points of that run for UTPB came via back-to-back attack errors by Mathis. Three straight kills by Salgado made it 10-4 Falcons. Two kills by Johnson made it 11-5 and 12-6, respectively. Another MSU attack error, this time by Toppin, made it a 13-6 Falcons' lead, but the Mustangs followed with their third run of at least 6-0 in as many sets to get to back to within one (13-12). UTPB was just able to hold on to the lead at 15-12 following an MSU service error coming before an assisted block by Whatley and Bradley.
In the final stages of the third set, UTPB fell behind 18-17 on an attack error, tied it for the last time at 19-19 on an MSU service error, and then fell behind 21-19 after an ace by the Mustangs. From there, two of UTPB's seniors did their best to step up late as a kill by Johnson made it a 21-20 deficit and two kills by Whatley made it 23-21 and 24-22 deficits, respectively. However, the MSU attack was too strong as Dickens recorded a kill on three of the final five points of the match to win it for the Mustangs.
Mathis and Dickens (2025 Second-Team All-Lone Star Conference) both totaled 15 kills on .303 percent hitting (15 kills, 5 errors, 33 attempts) for MSU while Macy Scheer (named LSC Setter of the Week on Oct. 6) dished out 47 assists in just three sets.
MSU hit .297 percent while holding a 54-34 advantage in kills. MSU is third in the LSC in assists and fourth in kills per set. The Mustangs are averaging 12.5 assists and 13.2 kills per set. Scheer is third in the league with 9.1 assists per set. Dickens leads the Mustangs and is 10th in the conference with 3.1 kills per set. The Mustangs are also sixth in the LSC with a hitting percentage of .214.
Each of the last 13 matchups between UTPB (8-13 overall, 3-12 LSC) and MSU (15-12, 10-6) dating back to 2016 have been sweeps.
The Mustangs have officially secured qualification to the LSC Postseason Tournament with one match remaining in the regular season for MSU. The Mustangs finished ninth in the conference last season with a 16-10 overall record while going 9-8 in conference play. MSU just missed out on a berth in the conference tournament last year, but this year the tournament field has been expanded to nine teams.
Next up, UTPB will wrap up its 2026 season with two road matches, starting at Texas A&M International University at 6 p.m. on Friday, November 6, and followed by Texas A&M University-Kingsville starting at 2 p.m. on Saturday, November 7.
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Senior Day Recap:
Sydney Bradley is a native of Dallas, Texas, who was named to the Spring 2026 Lone Star Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll. Her favorite memories from her time at UTPB include exploring California with the team and eating breakfast in the cafe after practice. A chemistry major, Bradley's plans after graduation are to get a "big girl job" and live with her sister as long as she can.
Precious Johnson is a native of Amarillo, Texas, who was named to the Spring 2026 Lone Star Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll. Her favorite memory from her time at UTPB was the team's trip to California last year, beating WT this year, and being goofy with her teammates. A criminal justice major who also minored in sociology, Johnson's plans after graduation are to work for the federal government.
Jaylee Mills is a native of Wilmington, Illinois, who was named to the Spring 2026 Lone Star Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll and is a three-time member of the Dean's List. She was previously the Newcomer of the Year as a freshman at Pacific Union College and was then MVP, Offensive Player of the Year, Cal-Pac Second-Team All-Conference, and Cal-Pac Attacker of the Week as a sophomore. Her favorite memories from her time at UTPB include traveling with the team on away games, staying in hotels with each other, and the team dinners. She says "it was always a special kind of bonding moment." A psychology major who also minored in sociology, Mills' plans after graduation are to go to graduate school to pursue a forensic psychology degree.
Isabel Rodriguez is a native of San Antonio, Texas, who joined the Falcons in the Spring of 2025. She was named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District® Volleyball Team after the 2025 season, has earned a spot on the Lone Star Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll in each of her first three semesters at UTPB, and earned the D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award in both 2025 and 2026. Her favorite memory from UTPB was beating WT last week. She said "it was amazing because of the team's energy and excitement throughout the game." A human performance major, Rodriguez's plans after graduation are to coach volleyball and teach at her old high school.
Nickilah Whatley is a native of Hereford, Texas, who joined the Falcons in the Spring of 2025. Earlier this season she was named to the All-Tournament Team at Angelo State and then became the first Lone Star Conference Defensive Player of the Week at UTPB. In addition, Whatley is proud of ranking in the top-four in the conference for service aces this year. Her favorite memories from her time at UTPB include breakfast with the girls after practice in the Spring, every "sweet treat run" with her teammates, and the two-hour conversation in California (if you know, you know). A psychology major who also minored in social work, Whatley's plans after graduation are to intern, work on her Master's degree, or become a coach.
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