DENTON, Texas - Trixie Oche turned in a career-high 19-kill performance, while Kaia Saylor and Tabitha Spray added double-doubles, as Saylor notched 17 kills and 25 digs while Spray had 11 kills and 12 digs, but the Texas Woman's University volleyball team (0-2, 0-2 Lone Star Conference) was unable to close out a fifth-set rally against UT Tyler (4-0, 4-0), falling 3-2 to the Patriots on Wednesday night inside Kitty Magee Arena. 

After UT Tyler won the first two sets by scores of 25-23, TWU knotted the match with 25-23 and 25-22 wins in the third and fourth sets before the Patriots closed out the fifth set on a 6-0 run to win the finale 15-11. 

The opening set was a back-and-forth affair, with seven tie scores. The Pioneers held a modest lead through the majority of the set, but UT Tyler turned a 15-14 deficit into a 17-15 lead and did not trail again in the opening set. The Patriots earned set point at 24-21, but the Pioneers held off the end with a kill from Monica Wood and a block by the tandem of Wood and Wozniak before the Patriots were able to notch the decisive 25th point. 

In the second set, again the two teams battled through 13 tie scores, and neither team able to establish much of a lead. However, UT Tyler pushed ahead after tying the set at 21-21, the first of three consecutive points to go ahead 23-21. UTT made it to set point at 24-22, and closed out the set on the second set point at 25-23. 

Set three started in a similar fashion to the first two, with the Pioneers taking an early lead and six tie scores. However, it was the Pioneers who went on a run in the third set as Spray kicked off a 4-0 run with a kill and served the next three points to see TWU take an 18-15 advantage. TWU made it to set point at 24-20, and UT Tyler was able to pull to within 24-23 before the Pioneers closed out the set at 25-23 on an Oche kill. 

The fourth set played out much like the first three. There were six tie scores in the set, with the Pioneers holding the advantage after the great majority. The Patriots could not muster more than a one-point lead in the set, and after the Pioneers earned set point, TWU closed out the set one point later on a kill by Spray that put the final score at 25-22. 

The momentum in the fifth set seemed at first to be going TWU's way, as the Pioneers opened up a 10-7 advantage, but the Patriots charged back with two quick points to cut the TWU lead to 10-9. After a kill by Saylor gave TWU an 11-9 advantage in the final set, the Patriots scored six consecutive to close out their victory. 

Oche hit a match-high .405, while Saylor hit .234 and Spray hit .226. Bailey Wozniak dished out a match- and career-high 60 assists, while also reaching career highs with 12 digs, four blocks, and three service aces. TWU had 15 blocks on the night, with Oche taking part in a team-best seven (five solo, two assisted) and Saylor taking part in six (one solo, five assisted). 

The Pioneers will return to action on Tuesday, Feb. 9, traveling to Dallas Baptist for a 7 p.m. matchup.