ARLINGTON, Texas --- The UT Arlington volleyball team (8-4) went the distance to produce a 24-26, 25-18, 17-25, 25-18, 15-8 win over Lamar University (6-5) in the championship match of the UTA Invitational inside the College Park Center on Saturday night.
 
With the victory, the Mavericks have won six straight and eight of the past nine, which matches the program's longest win streak in head coach J.T. Wenger's tenure. Last year's team won six straight from Oct. 31 to Nov. 19 while the 2018 team's streak stretched from Aug. 31 to Sept. 15.
 
"We're finding ways to win even when things don't go easily for us, and I think that's the mark of a good team," Wenger said. "We have a lot of versatility. Everyone on the roster is capable of contributing for us."
 
UT Arlington, which will open WAC play next Saturday at Grand Canyon, is now 3-1 in five-set matches this year, including a pair of wins after trailing 2-1.
 
Brianna Ford, who led the Mavs with 15 kills, 16 digs, three assists, two blocks and an ace against Lamar, was named the UTA Invitational MVP to go along with her UTSA Invitational MVP and UTA Classic all-tournament team selections this year. It was her seventh double-double of the season, which pushes her career total to 18.
 
Ford was joined on the UTA Invitational all-tournament team by Jalie Tritt and Brooke Townsend. Tritt had 13 kills, six digs, four blocks (one solo) and an ace on Saturday, and she tallied eight kills and 12 digs in the tournament opener against New Orleans. Meanwhile, Townsend finished with eight kills, four digs and two blocks on Saturday, narrowly missing her third consecutive performance with double-digit kills.
 
Against Lamar, Wenger changed up the lineup after the team's third-set loss, inserting Devon Martinka and Mollie Blank, along with adding Kortney Puckett in the middle, in an effort to spur the team.
 
And it worked. The Mavs combined for 16 blocks (two solo) in the fourth set alone, led by four from Meredith Fisher and three apiece from Tritt, Puckett and Martinka to produce a 25-18 win and force a fifth set.
 
"We lost the first set but hit for a really high average," Wenger said. "They just had a bit of a serving streak that cost us. We hit .480 or so in the second set, and we were really rolling. In the third set, we got a little shaky and had to change things up a bit. Kortney came in and had some good reads. Devon was a wall out there. It was definitely a game changer for us."
 
Fisher finished with a career high 10 blocks (four solo), becoming the first Mav to record double-digits in a match since Madison McConnell had 12 against Georgia Southern on Oct. 21, 2016. Martinka finished with five, and Puckett added four.
 
Defensively, Alli Wells had a match-high 17 digs to go along with Ford's 16, but Alyssa Duran highlighted the back row with a career-high 15 digs to go along with four assists. Sophie Skinner had a team-best 33 assists while matching Kaylen Beaty with a match-high three aces. Blank added six assists and three digs. Another contributor was Briana Brown with two kills, one block and one dig.
 
A pair of Mavs – Wells and Townsend – also inched up the program's career list in digs and kills, respectively. Wells now has 1,379 digs, which moves her past Katie Weismiller (1,370, 1983-86) for 13th place all-time, just behind Caitlyn Cooney (1,384, 2012-15). Townsend, meanwhile, pushed her career kill total to 1,164, which ties her with Amanda Aguilera for 12th place.
 
UTA Invitational All-Tournament Team
Brianna Ford, UT Arlington (MVP)
Brooke Townsend, UT Arlington
Jalie Tritt, UT Arlington
Kaitlyn Gil, Lamar
Nylah Encalade, Lamar
Kamryn Scroggins, New Orleans
Rita Zecchin, New Orleans
Kylee Owens, Prairie View
 
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