ARLINGTON, Texas — Tarleton State Volleyball overcame UT Arlington, 3-2, in an exciting five set match on Thursday at College Park Center.
LaNeah Lara led the Texans with an outstanding 25 kills, a new career high for the junior outside hitter. Lara recorded 26 points for the Texans, as well as three blocks. Madison Rice-Locket totaled 11 kills and 15 digs, recording her 5th double-double of the season. Emma Burke notched seven blocks and five kills rounding out the Texan attack.
Megan Hodges and Teya Nguyen set the Texan offense up for success behind multiple assists from the pair. Hodges recoreded 25 assists and Nguyen recorded 19. Morgan Carter lead the Texans backrow defense with 25 digs, while also contributing eight assists.
Tarleton State opened the first set strong and never looked back, riding an early offensive surge and multiple service aces to claim a 25–17 victory. The Texans struck first with a kill from Rice-Locket, assisted by Hodges, then quickly extended their lead to 2–0 after a service ace from Hodges. UTA responded but after a short exchange, Madison Frank broke the tie with a kill, sparking a 3–0 Tarleton State run highlighted by kills from LaNeah Lara, putting the Texans ahead 5–3. UTA trimmed the margin, but a service error gave the momentum back to Tarleton State. Kills from Lara and Burke, along with a strong assist from setter Teya Nguyen, kept Tarleton State in front 8–5. Despite a couple of service errors, the Texans' front line remained steady. Lara continued to find openings, while Rice-Locket and Burke each added kills to push the lead to 10–7. UTA managed to close the gap after a block error, but the Texans immediately answered with a kill from Frank off a Nguyen assist. Hodges then delivered her second service ace of the set to give Tarleton a 13–10 advantage, forcing UTA to call a timeout. The pause did little to slow Tarleton State's momentum. A UTA service error and another kill from Lara extended the lead to 15–11. Though the Mavericks picked up a point with a service ace, the Texans capitalized on UTA errors and a service ace from Morgan Carter made it 17–14. Tarleton State continued the pressure, drawing an attack error from the Mavericks and another block assist from Emma Burke and Rice-Locket. Lara notched yet another kill to make it 20–17, and the Texans' defense tightened from there. Down the stretch, Burke and Peterson combined for a block, Rice-Locket followed with a kill, and Nguyen set up Peterson for a set-point kill at 24–17. On the very next play, Rice-Locket closed the door with a decisive kill off a Carter assist, sealing the first set 25–17 in favor of Tarleton State.
After a dominant opening set, Tarleton State stumbled early in the second as UT Arlington jumped out to a quick 3–0 lead before the Texans found their rhythm. A service error by the Mavericks gave Tarleton State their first point, and momentum began to swing behind the Texans. Rice-Locket went on a tear at the service line, dropping in two straight aces and fueling a 10–0 Texan run. Lara took over offensively with four consecutive kills, all assisted by Hodges, as the Texans built a commanding 10–3 advantage. UT Arlington burned both of its timeouts during the stretch, but Tarleton State stayed hot, forcing another attack error and extending the lead to 11–3 before the Mavericks could regroup. UT Arlington clawed back with a few kills and an ace, but Lara halted the rally once again with another kill from Hodges to make it 12–7. Tarleton State's offense kept attacking, though a few service and attack errors allowed the Mavericks to inch closer at 13–9. Fresh subs Breannah Peterson and Teya Nguyen entered to provide a spark, with Nguyen immediately setting up Lara for another powerful finish to keep Tarleton State in front 14–10. The Mavericks responded with a brief 3–0 run to close the gap, prompting a timeout from Head Coach Jazmyne Johnson. Tarleton State's once–six-point cushion was cut to two. Out of the break, the Texans forced an attack error to stop the run, but UTA continued to capitalize on service errors and defensive miscues, eventually tying the set at 15–15 after an ace. Hodges swung the momentum back Tarleton State's way momentarily with a service ace to make it 17–16, but the Mavericks answered quickly with another Tarleton State ball-handling error. Despite solid assists from Hodges and Nguyen, the Texans couldn't regain their early rhythm as UTA scored six straight points, including multiple attack errors forced by the Maverick block. A kill from Frank provided brief relief at 18–22, but the Mavericks sealed the set with a 3–1 finish. Tarleton State fell 25–19, unable to recover from late offensive miscues despite another standout performance from Lara, who tallied seven kills in the set.
Tarleton State battled through a tense third frame to regain momentum, outlasting UT Arlington 27–25 to reclaim the match lead. The set opened evenly, with Madison Frank and LaNeah Lara getting the Texans going early on offense. Lara connected for back-to-back kills, and Alyssa Dinh added one of her own to push Tarleton State in front 3–1. The Mavericks tied things up following an attack error, but Tarleton State quickly recovered behind another Lara kill assisted by Morgan Carter. UTA kept it close early, but Tarleton State's attack continued to find rhythm. Breannah Peterson entered the set and immediately made an impact with a kill from setter Teya Nguyen, who provided fresh energy off the bench. The Texans began to pull ahead at 8–7 after forcing multiple Maverick errors, including an attack error. Momentum continued Tarleton State's way with a block assist from Lara and Burke, followed by another kill from Peterson to stretch the lead to 17–14. Nguyen stayed composed in the setter's role, distributing the ball with confidence as Burke, Dinh, and Rice-Locket each contributed timely points. After a timeout from UT Arlington, Tarleton State kept control with a kill by Lara, assisted again by Nguyen, extending the lead to 19–15. The Mavericks, however, mounted a late rally, using a series of kills and defensive stops to narrow the gap. Tarleton State called timeout as UTA pulled within one at 20–19. Rice-Locket and Lara tried to halt the momentum with powerful swings, but UTA continued to answer. The set turned into a back-and-forth battle with neither team able to pull away. After trading sideouts, Tarleton State called another timeout trailing 22–21. Out of the huddle, Rice-Locket delivered a clutch kill off a Hodges assist to tie it at 22–22. In the closing points, Lara, Frank, and Burke stepped up defensively at the net, combining for multiple key blocks. A Burke–Lara block earned the Texans set point at 24–23, but UTA responded to tie it again. The Texans stayed composed, with Rice-Locket adding another kill and Nguyen setting up Lara for a powerful finish to earn another set point. Finally, Rice-Locket sealed the deal, hammering home the decisive kill from Nguyen to close the set 27–25. The win gave Tarleton State a 2–1 match lead heading into the fourth.
UT Arlington battled back to even the match, taking Set Four 25–21. The Mavericks opened the frame with two quick points on back-to-back Tarleton State attack errors before Rice-Locket settled things down with a kill off Carter's assist. Tarleton State responded defensively, as Lara and Dinh combined for a block to tie the set at 2–2. Both sides traded early blows — Lara connected for another kill, while Burke and Madison Frank each added timely points to keep Tarleton State within striking distance. Midway through the set, Nguyen entered and provided an immediate spark, setting up Burke for a clean kill to cut UTA's lead to 6–5. The Mavericks began to create separation behind multiple kills that pushed the score to 9–6. Despite the deficit, Rice-Locket and Lara continued to attack aggressively, and Frank notched another kill to narrow the gap. After a Tarleton State timeout trailing 11–8, Nguyen reentered and connected with Lara for back-to-back kills that swung momentum back in the Texans' favor. A UTA attack error brought the score to 14–16, but the Mavericks held their composure behind Tritt, who tallied a series of kills down the stretch. Tarleton State tried to rally behind another Lara strike assisted by Hodges, and Rice-Locket added a kill to bring the Texans within three at 17–20. However, a string of late errors halted the comeback effort. UTA's Snook and Tritt combined for a pair of kills to reach match point at 24–20. Lara answered again with one more kill to keep Tarleton State alive, but the Mavericks closed it out with Tritt's final swing to take the set 25–21 and even the match at two sets apiece.
Tarleton State came out determined in the fifth set and finished strong to clinch the match 15–9 over UT Arlington. The Texans struck first with a kill from Dinh off a setup by Hodges. Despite a brief service miscue, Tarleton State quickly regrouped. Rice-Locket and Lara found their rhythm early, each connecting on key swings to keep the Texans in control. The defensive front made its presence known as Dinh and Frank combined for an early block to even the score before Burke and Frank added another to spark momentum. Hodges continued to run a balanced offense, finding Burke and Peterson for kills that extended the lead to 6–5. After a timeout, Tarleton State maintained its energy behind Leddy Rae Guinn's steady serving and another strong block from Burke and Peterson. The Texans' front line forced multiple attack errors as they built a 9–6 advantage. Rice-Locket added a solo block and later connected on a powerful kill to make it 11–7 before Hodges found Carter for a clean finish through the middle. Frank followed with another kill to set up match point at 14–8. UTA managed one final point before Dinh closed the door with a kill from the middle off a perfect set from Hodges, sealing the 15–9 set win and the match for Tarleton State.
The Texans are now 6-2 in conference play, and 12-8 overall. Texan Volleyball will be back in Wisdom Gym on Thursday to take on Utah Valley for Throwback Thursday.
