AUSTIN, Texas — St. Edward's volleyball stood on the edge of a breakthrough Tuesday night — four points from its first Lone Star Conference win of the season — only to watch it slip away in the final breath of a five-set thriller.

The Hilltoppers (3-5, 0-3 LSC) clawed back from a flat opening set and wrestled control of the match behind their most balanced attack of the year before UT Tyler (7-6, 3-0) regained its footing and closed the door, 3-2 (25-17, 21-25, 20-25, 25-15, 15-13).

The turning point arrived disguised as a substitution. Down 23-15 in the first, sophomore outside hitter MIA CLAY checked in cold and immediately delivered a kill — a throwaway point in the set's outcome, but a spark with staying power. Clay earned another swing to start the second and kept stacking positive plays, each one compounding confidence and shifting momentum.

Her emergence changed the geometry of the Hilltopper offense. Defenses could no longer key on KELLI FORDING, who punished single blocks for a match-high 20 kills. With Clay carving space on the pin and ADDY BADLEY flashing through the middle, setter ALTHEA MORRIS ran the show with full command — distributing 62 assists and keeping UT Tyler's block guessing.

The result was two of St. Edward's cleanest offensive sets of the season: a .390 hitting clip in the second and .357 in the third to flip a one-set deficit into a 2-1 lead. Clay finished with 18 kills on .375 hitting, Badley added 18 more at .283, and libero GISELLE OJEDA anchored the back row with 29 digs. At the net, Badley and GRACE MCDONALD combined for six block assists, punctuating a gritty team defensive effort.

But the Patriots had a response. They blitzed St. Edward's in the fourth, building a 14-7 lead and never looking back to force a deciding set. The Hilltoppers looked ready to finish the job when they jumped ahead 11-7 in the fifth, only for UT Tyler to counterpunch with a 6-2 run — capped by two clutch kills from Jackie Velzis — to take the set 15-13 and the match.

A moral victory isn't the one St. Edward's wanted, but the night still hinted at a team beginning to figure itself out. The Hilltoppers return home Friday to host Midwestern State, with first serve set for 6 p.m. at the Recreation and Athletics Center.