ODESSA, Texas — St. Edward's erased a four-point deficit in the deciding set and extended the match beyond regulation, but UT Permian Basin's Kaitlyn Salgado delivered three of the Falcons' final four points to outlast the Hilltoppers in five sets Saturday afternoon.
St. Edward's fell 16-25, 25-23, 25-23, 21-25, 17-15 in its final match of the Lone Star Conference Challenge, concluding nonconference play with a 5-5 record.
The Hilltoppers finished with advantages in kills (60-54) and service aces (10-5), while both teams hit .142. UTPB countered with a 13-9 advantage in blocks and received a match-high 20 kills from Salgado.
St. Edward's controlled the opening set through its serve and defense, holding UTPB to five kills and eight errors on a negative-.079 hitting percentage. The Hilltoppers built an 11-6 advantage before the Falcons briefly closed within three.
KAYLEN LEMBCKE answered with a kill, and St. Edward's finished the set on a 13-5 run. DELANEY GREGORY supplied two aces during the closing stretch, including one on set point, to secure the 25-16 win.
UTPB responded by generating 16 kills in the second set. St. Edward's trailed 19-14 before LANDRY BAUGHMAN and KELLI FORDING helped the Hilltoppers work their way back into contention. The Falcons' lead disappeared at 23-23, but Salgado followed with a kill before combining with Sydney Bradley on a block to even the match.
The Falcons carried that momentum into the third set and built a 19-14 lead. St. Edward's again rallied late, pulling within 24-23 on a Baughman kill, but UTPB captured the final point to take a 2-1 advantage.
St. Edward's faced another deficit in the fourth, trailing 12-7 before CARRINGTON JAIMES changed the complexion of the set from the service line. Jaimes recorded two aces during a 7-0 run, while Baughman contributed a kill and combined with GRACE MCDONALD on a pair of blocks to move the Hilltoppers ahead 14-12.
The Hilltoppers maintained control from there. MIA CLAY produced three kills down the stretch, including the set winner, to force a fifth with a 25-21 victory.
UTPB used a 6-0 run to take a 7-3 lead in the deciding set, but St. Edward's continued to chip away. Clay delivered three kills during the comeback, and the Hilltoppers eventually erased a 13-10 deficit behind Gregory's serving. Gregory recorded an ace before an attack error tied the set at 13.
After a service error gave UTPB its first match point, ALTHEA MORRIS answered with a kill to extend the match. Salgado put the Falcons back in front, but Lembcke responded to tie the score at 15. Salgado then closed the match with consecutive kills.
Morris finished with 44 assists and 18 digs for her third double-double of the season, adding three kills on a .286 hitting percentage. GISELLE OJEDA led the back row with 21 digs.
Fording led St. Edward's with 12 kills, while Lembcke added nine and three block assists. Jaimes delivered one of the most efficient performances of the match, totaling eight kills with one error on 18 attacks for a .389 hitting percentage. She also contributed three blocks, two aces and six digs.
Gregory finished with a season-high six aces, accounting for more than half of the Hilltoppers' season-high 10.
St. Edward's will see UTPB again Friday, Sept. 18, when the Hilltoppers host the Falcons in their home and Lone Star Conference opener.
