UTPB Athletics

SAN ANGELO, Texas (August 29, 2026) – The University of Texas Permian Basin volleyball team continued to play with confidence as the Falcons defeated Colorado State University Pueblo 3-0 (25-14, 25-19, 25-15) during the second and final day of the Kathleen Brasfield Invitational. However, in the Falcons' final match of the tournament, UTPB could not hold on to a 2-0 set lead and fell 3-2 (13-25, 22-25, 25-23, 25-23, 17-15) vs. East Central University.
 
Match 1 (UTPB 3, CSU Pueblo 0):

• Playing in what was supposed to be its toughest test of the tournament, UTPB jumped on CSUP with an 8-3 lead in the first set, forcing an early ThunderWolves' timeout.
• After leading the team with five service aces during day one of the season, Kierra Freeman started day two with an ace for the first point of the match against the ThunderWolves, and then aces by Giselle Orellana and Nickilah Whatley also helped contribute to the early lead.
• Kaitlyn Salgado then got it going with three kills during a 4-1 Falcons' run to stop a run of three straight points by the ThunderWolves and help give the Falcons a 12-7 advantage.
• A kill by Sydney Bradley assisted by Freeman made it 18-10 and forced CSUP's second timeout of the opening set, and then Bradley and Freeman connected again coming out of the timeout to make it 19-10.
• Four straight points starting with a kill by Precious Johnson and also featuring two solo blocks by Johnson got the Falcons to set point, and then two points later another kill by Johnson on the assist from Emma Gonzalez gave UTPB the 1-0 lead with a 25-14 win.
• Johnson had a hand in all three blocks made during the first set and added three kills on just four attempts (.750 percent). Salgado added three kills on five attempts (.600 percent) as UTPB took care of business in the first set with a .522 attack percentage (13 kills, 1 error).
• In the second set, UTPB had to battle back from a four-point deficit (12-8), getting back-to-back kills by Orellana to jumpstart a 9-1 run. A setter dump by Freeman made it a 15-13 Falcons' lead at the technical timeout, and then coming out of the timeout, a big kill by Whatley assisted by Freeman kept the run going. A block assist by Whatley and Bradley made it six points in a row for the Falcons (up 17-13) and forced a timeout by CSUP just two points after the technical timeout.
• Holding on to just a one-point lead (18-17) in the second set, UTPB showed its poise with five straight points during a run featuring kills by Bradley, Makenna Grimes and Salgado and ending with an ace by Gonzalez, making it 23-17 and contributing to a 25-19 win.
• Just like she did in the first set, Freeman opened up the third set with an ace. She then added back-to-back aces to make it a 4-0 lead as the ThunderWolves continued to have issues handling the serve and delivering a good first pass.
• The Falcons' energy was on full display early in the final set, making it to every loose ball and racing out to a lead of 10-2 after a kill and an ace by Whatley on back-to-back points.
• The score moved to 15-4 after four straight attack errors by the ThunderWolves, four of CSUP's 11 attack errors in the final set.
• The final four points of the match came after three straight kills by Salgado asserting her dominance were followed by a final block by Bradley and Johnson to end it with a 25-15 victory.
• The final attack numbers were in favor of the ThunderWolves (105-82), but the Falcons' defense was up to the task with a 48-31 advantage in digs and a 12-5 advantage in blocks while also limiting CSUP to just .010 percent hitting (26 kills, 25 errors).
• Salgado reached double-digit kills for the third match in a row to open the season with 10, including five kills in the final set. She was followed by Bradley with seven kills and Orellana with six.
• Freeman recorded her first double-double of the season with 13 assists and 10 digs.
• UTPB had some eye-popping numbers from the service line and at the net. Freeman and Whatley both totaled four service aces while Whatley (6 blocks) also led a trio of Falcons with five blocks or more in the match.
• Lastly, the UTPB defense also limited CSUP's Lilly Zwart, who combined for 33 kills during the first day of the tournament and recorded a career-high 20 kills in the final match of the night, to just four kills on 24 attempts (.083 percent) in the match against the Falcons.
• It was an important regional win for the Falcons as CSU Pueblo enters 2026 with plenty of momentum following one of the most successful seasons in recent program history. Head Coach Jordan Bruere enters her second season leading her alma mater after making an immediate impact in her first year at the helm. Bruere guided the ThunderWolves to a 20-9 overall record and an 11-3 mark in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play in 2025, while the Pack finished third in the RMAC standings and advanced to the semifinals of the RMAC Tournament. The season culminated with CSU Pueblo earning the No. 5 seed in the NCAA Division II South Central Regional, marking the Pack's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2022. CSU Pueblo returns four starters and seven letterwinners from last season's NCAA Tournament squad.

 
Match 2 (UTPB 2, East Central 3):

• A kill by Johnson made it 10-3 Falcons in the opening set and forced the first timeout of the match, and then back-to-back kills by Grimes made it 16-3 at the technical timeout, wrapping up a dominant 8-0 run.
• A great rally ensued during the final point of the opening set, featuring several standout digs by the Falcons to keep it alive and resulting in a kill hammered down by Salgado to give UTPB the 25-13 win. The back-and-forth rally should have been a sign of things to come for the rest of the match.
• UTPB limited ECU to just four kills in the first set, but was pushed to the brink in set number two.
• With UTPB trailing 22-20 late in the second set, a service error broke up ECU's momentum (4 straight points) and was followed by a service ace by Salgado. An attack error by the Tigers broke the 22-22 tie, and then with set point, an opportunistic kill by Johnson at the net as ECU was just trying to get the ball back over wrapped up what was a 5-0 run to win the set 25-22 for UTPB.
• Just like in set number two, UTPB trailed 7-3 and had a take an early timeout in set number three. This time, however, ECU continued the run and ultimately led 10-3 after a 7-0 run and then later led by 10 (15-5). UTPB tried to make a late push, cutting its deficit in half at 19-14 on a kill by Salgado, to four at 21-17 on a kill by Orellana, to three at 22-19 on a Tigers' attack error, to two at 23-21 on a kill by Bradley, and to one at 24-23 on another attack error, but a kill by ECU's setter, Emily Pena, instead handed the Falcons their first defeat in a set so far this season (25-23).
• ECU then kept the pressure on the Falcons, winning the final five points of the fourth set to come from down 23-20 and again win it 25-23.
• In the all-important fifth set, UTPB trailed 5-1 to start before four straight points featuring kills by Orellana, Bradley and Whatley before a Tigers' attack error to tie it at 5-5 and bring up an ECU timeout.
• The teams traded one-point leads from there until UTPB took a 13-11 advantage on a kill by Whatley and also had match point up 14-12 after another kill by Whatley. Then after the Tigers battled back and took the lead (15-14), yet another kill by Whatley tied it at 15-15, but a service error by Whatley followed by a kill by Pena kept the Falcons from finishing off the weekend undefeated.
• Pena had just four kills on the match, but had two of the biggest kills of the match to end two set victories for the Tigers. She also dished out 40 assists vs. the Falcons. Pena earned All-Great American Conference (GAC) Honorable Mention recognition in 2025.
• Salgado totaled 16 kills for UTPB and added 21 digs for her second double-double of opening weekend. She reached double-digits and led UTPB in kills in all four matches.
• Salgado was followed by Grimes with 12 kills, Orellana with nine and Bradley with seven. Grimes' 12 kills were the only time this weekend a Falcon not named Salgado reached double-digits in kills.
• Freeman recorded her second double-double of the day with 22 assists and 14 digs. Freeman also recorded at least two service aces in all four matches on the weekend and led the Falcons with 11 aces overall.
• Gonzalez, like Freeman, also reached the 20-assist threshold for the first time on the season.
• Orellana produced 18 digs in addition to her offensive output while libero Isabel Rodriguez added 17 digs, her highest total of the tournament.
• Whatley converted three aces in the match and finished with seven combined aces on the day.
• ECU came into the match 0-3. ECU finished the 2025 campaign with a 10-21 overall record and went 7-9 in conference play, earning its fifth consecutive postseason berth.

Coach's Quote:

• "Overall, we had a great weekend. It was not the finish we wanted, but we have a very high ceiling with room to grow and learn. We have a group who fights and competes and wants to play at the highest level. We will get back in the gym and get ready for the LSC Challenge." – Head Coach Melissa Avila.

 
Team Record:

• Despite the result of the final match, it was a great start to the season for UTPB (3-1) after ending the previous year with a sub-.500 overall record and dropping their first three matches at the Kathleen Brasfield Invitational.

 
Next Up: UT Permian Basin volleyball's next official match will come when the Falcons host the Lone Star Conference Challenge, starting with a match vs. UT Dallas at 6 p.m. on Thursday, September 10, from the Falcon Dome.