Mavericks Push Undefeated EKU to Five Sets in Hard-Fought UAC Match, 3-2

Thursday, October 29

Richmond, KY

5 PM CT

University of Texas Arlington

10-13,4-7UAC

Eastern Kentucky

21-2,11-0UAC

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
UT Arlington	25	15	22	25	8	2
Eastern Ky.	15	25	25	23	15	3

10/29/2026 7:56:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

By: Kensley Walters

RICHMOND, Ky. — UT Arlington (10-13, 4-7 UAC) fell to Eastern Kentucky (21-2, 11-0 UAC) in a five-set battle Thursday night at Baptist Health Arena. The Mavericks became the first team in United Athletic Conference play to force the undefeated Colonels into a fifth set this season. UTA claimed the opening set 25-15 before dropping the next two 15-25 and 22-25. The Mavericks responded with a 25-23 fourth-set victory before EKU secured the match with a 15-8 win in the deciding set.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The opening set remained close early before the Mavericks began to pull away. With the score tied at 4-4, kills from Evyn Snook and Camryn McMinn helped UTA build an 11-7 advantage. The Mavericks continued to extend their lead behind strong offensive play from Snook and Karisa Martin, moving ahead 15-10. UTA later used a four-point run to take a 22-14 lead, highlighted by strong defensive efforts at the net. McMinn closed the set with back-to-back service aces, giving the Mavericks a 25-15 victory and handing EKU its first opening-set loss in conference play this season.

Eastern Kentucky responded in the second set, jumping out to an early 5-0 lead behind kills from Audrey Hudson and Emma Closurdo. The Colonels continued to build their advantage, extending the lead to 14-5 as the Mavericks struggled to find offensive consistency. UTA received kills from Snook, Martin and Dixie Nessl but could not overcome the early deficit. EKU maintained control throughout the remainder of the set, taking a 25-15 victory to even the match at 1-1.

The third set began as a back-and-forth contest, with the Mavericks holding a 6-4 advantage following consecutive kills from Snook. EKU responded with seven straight points to move ahead 11-6 before extending its lead to 18-9. UTA refused to go away, using a late rally sparked by a Lucy Tricco service ace and kills from Eliana Collins and Snook to cut the deficit to 23-22. However, the Colonels scored the final two points to secure a 25-22 set victory and take a 2-1 match lead.

Facing elimination, the Mavericks battled through a tightly contested fourth set that featured several lead changes. Snook provided a strong offensive presence early, helping UTA build a 7-5 advantage. Neither team was able to create significant separation as the score remained tied at 14-14 midway through the set. EKU later took a 20-19 lead, but the Mavericks answered behind kills from Nessl and a block by Nessl to remain within striking distance. With the score tied at 23-23, Snook delivered a kill to give UTA set point before an EKU attack error secured the 25-23 victory, forcing a fifth set against the Colonels.

Eastern Kentucky opened the deciding set with five unanswered points. UTA responded with kills from Martin, Snook and McMinn but struggled to close the gap as EKU extended its lead to 11-4. The Mavericks put together a three-point stretch to cut the deficit to 11-7, but the Colonels answered with three consecutive points to reach match point. EKU ultimately closed the set 15-8 to remain undefeated in conference play.

Game Notes

Evyn Snook led the Mavericks with a match-high 23 kills while hitting .333.
Karisa Martin finished with nine kills, while Dixie Nessl and Hana Aiana each contributed eight.
Freshman Lucy Tricco led the match with a season-high 49 assists while adding 10 digs and four total blocks.
Samantha Glenn led the Mavericks defensively with 25 digs, followed by Lily Hopkins with 19 and Camryn McMinn with 13.
UTA recorded 12 total blocks to EKU's 11, while finishing with 56 kills and a .164 hitting percentage.
The Mavericks became the first UAC opponent this season to take Eastern Kentucky to five sets, snapping the Colonels' streak of nine consecutive conference sweeps.

UP NEXT
UTA will continue road UAC play at Austin Peay for an 11 a.m. CT Halloween matchup at the Winfield Dunn Center in Clarksville, Tennessee.

--#BuckEm--

FOLLOW THE MAVS
For the latest news on UTA Volleyball, log on to UTAMavs.com or stay connected to the Mavs on social media. Follow the Mavericks on X (formally known as Twitter) @UTAMavsVB, on Instagram @UTAMavsVB and on Facebook at Facebook.com/UTAMavsVB.