ODESSA, Texas — St. Edward's volleyball showed flashes of fight but couldn't overcome a balanced UT Permian Basin attack, falling 3–1 (25–21, 25–23, 20–25, 25–18) in Friday night's Lone Star Conference opener at the Falcon Dome.

KELLI FORDING led the Hilltoppers (3-3, 0-1 LSC) with 16 kills and eight service aces, while setter ALTHEA MORRIS dished out 34 assists and added eight digs. DELANEY GREGORY chipped in 10 kills, and libero GISELLE OJEDA anchored the defense with a team-high 15 digs.

St. Edward's battled in each of the first two sets but was undone by UTPB's offensive efficiency. The Falcons hit .250 in the opener and .378 in the second, using late runs in both frames to edge ahead.

The Hilltoppers responded with their best set in the third, racing out to a 10–3 lead behind a string of aces from Fording and capitalizing on Falcon errors to win 25–20. But UTPB (3-8, 1-0 LSC) regained control in the fourth, posting 17 kills and hitting .244 to seal the match.

Ashlee Macias paced the Falcons with 21 kills and 10 digs, while Lauren Demuth added 11 kills and four blocks. UTPB out-hit St. Edward's .245 to .160 and held a 10–6 advantage in total blocks.

St. Edward's continues conference play tomorrow against No. 20-ranked Angelo State before returning home for a three-match homestand.