DENTON, Texas (Oct. 14, 2016) – Sara Oxford and Briley Cole recorded career-highs in kills, and several reserves stepped up for Texas Woman's University in a match against UT Permian Basin Friday night inside Kitty Magee Arena, but the Pioneer efforts fell just short in a 3-2 loss to the Falcons.
 
The offensive efforts by Oxford and Cole delivered 22 and 15 kills, respectively, and were complemented by the defensive works of Skyler Friel's eight blocks. Oxford also produced 10 digs for a double-double, and Katy Ranes also did double duty with 34 assists and 21 digs in the five-set loss (22-25, 21-25, 25-18, 25-22, 14-16).
 
Kills by Oxford, Jade Akins and Caroline Noel in set one gave the Pioneers their first lead on the night at 3-2, and a block by Haley Collins and Noel preceded a pair of service aces by Mary Kate Hyde to give TWU a 7-3 advantage. The Falcons came back to tie at 13-all and worked to pull ahead 21-18 after a TWU attack error. A kill off of a slide by Oxford and a block by Akins alongside Oxford pulled the Pioneers to within 21-20, but the Falcons reeled off three straight for set point before sending off a final kill.
 
A block by Oxford and Cole in set two handed TWU the lead at 6-5 before two Pioneer errors and a Falcon block put UTPB back in front at 8-6. Akins tied things up at 9-9 on a kill, but the Falcons scored seven of the next 10 points to jump ahead at 16-12. An ace by UTPB upped the lead to 19-14 before a block by Friel and Ranes followed by a Falcon attack error cut the margin to 21-18. A block by UTPB placed the Falcons at set point, but the Pioneers kept fighting as Ranes and Cole each notched a kill. A ball handling error by the Falcons kept TWU in contention at 24-21, but a Pioneer serve sailed deep to end the set.
 
A fresh starting lineup for TWU opened up set three with a 9-4 lead. The Falcons whittled the gap to 11-10, but Cole threw down a kill and teamed up with Oxford and Dylana Hutchins to open the lead back up to 15-12. A kill by Oxford and a UTPB service error gave the Pioneers a 17-13 advantage. Back-to-back kills by Oxford increased the margin to 19-14 as the teams then traded points until a block by Cole and Friel and another by Friel and Hutchins kept the Pioneers alive.
 
Consecutive service aces by the Falcons in set four put UTPB up 4-3 early until the Pioneers came back after a kill by Erin Terry and two from Cole for a 9-8 TWU advantage. A kill by UTPB put the Falcons in front at 17-14 before A UTPB attack error, a block by Friel and Cole along with a Ranes service ace tied the game at 17-all. Cole and Friel added two more kills for a four-point lead, but the Falcons closed to within 21-20. With the score tied 22-22, Cole delivered a pair of kills, and a UTPB attack went wide to send the match into a fifth set.
 
The Falcons opened the final frame with two kills and led 3-1 after a TWU attack error. Kills by Hutchins, Cole and Oxford put the lead into the hands of the Pioneers at 4-3, and Oxford sent over an ace to keep TWU up by one at 10-9. A block by Cole and Friel made it 12-11, but a kill and block by the Falcons put UTPB in control at 13-12. Friel found an empty back corner on the Falcon side of the court to place the Pioneers at match point, 14-13. UTPB tied the set on a block and took the lead on a kill at 15-14 before the final ball fell in favor of the Falcons to end the match.
 
The Pioneers are back into action quickly by hosting West Texas A&M Saturday at 2 p.m.