TYLER, Texas – St. Edward's opened strong, winning the first set against the Texas-Tyler Patriots, but were swept on the back end of a 3-1 (25-20, 17-25, 12-25, 16-25) loss in the penultimate match of the season. 

St. Edward's carried the momentum of its previous three wins into the first set, staying locked in defensively with four blocks and 18 digs, limiting the Patriots to a .068 hitting percentage. MAYA SMALLS led the Hilltopper attack with four kills on a .154 clip as St. Edward's opened a 17-10 lead and held on for the 25-20 win. 

Texas-Tyler responded with 14 kills on an efficient .306 hitting percentage, led by Mikayla Ware's five kills on a .333 clip. 

The Hilltopper attack fell apart in the third set with only five kills as Texas-Tyler's Ware scorched the defense with eight kills on 13 attacks. Jeorgia Jones provided a complementary one-two punch with five kills on eight attacks for the commanding 25-12 third-set win. 

Texas-Tyler closed the match with a 25-16 fourth set, hitting over .300 for a third consecutive set at .321, with Ware puncturing the defense for five kills, ending with 24 kills on 55 attacks with eight errors. 

Smalls led St. Edward's with 11 kills, and HALLE SANDERS continued her recent strong play with nine kills on a .259 hitting percentage. AJANI HODGES anchored the block with four block assists and two solo blocks. SARAH KONOVODOFF led the Hilltoppers' with 15 digs, and Esther Grussing had 17 assists. 

St. Edward's falls to 9-17 with a 6-9 conference after the loss. Texas-Tyler improves to 17-8 with a 10-4 conference record. The Hilltoppers will close the season with a road match against Texas A&M International University on Wednesday at 6:00 p.m.