Box Score

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SEGUIN, TX - UT Dallas volleyball coach Marci Sanders set a goal of winning an American Southwest Conference championship within five years when she began the Comets program back in 2004. With the end of that fifth season winding down, Sanders and her Comets finally realized their goal.

The Comets (24-7) rallied from a 0-1 deficit Saturday afternoon to take three straight sets from East Texas Baptist and win the ASC Championship Tournament title game, 16-25, 25-12, 25-16 and 26-24.

The win gives UTD its first volleyball championship in program history and the UTD Athletic Department is sixth league championship in the last seven years. The Comets also claim the ASC's automatic berth into the 2008 NCAA Division III national tournament. UTD will be heading to San Antonio for a regional tournament at Trinity University this weekend. UTD will meet Southwestern University (34-4) in an opening round match at 4:30 pm Thursday.

After struggling out of the gate in the first set, UTD turned the tide on ETBU (24-9) in both the second and third sets, dominating their East Division rivals with 25-12 and 25-16 wins. Both teams made huge runs in the fourth and deciding set before knotting things up and setting up a dramatic finish.

In the fourth set, UTD was trailing 8-10 when the Comets put together nine straight points to move out to a seemingly safe 17-10 advantage. But ETBU scored nine of the next 11 points to knot the score at 19-19. After the two teams exchanged leads and the score was tied at 24-24, ETBU's Traci Twardowski played a shot from Jessica Nassau that was seemingly heading out of bounds. Instead, Twardowski's return went outside of the pole for a Comet point and the important one-point advantage. UTD then got the match winner when ETBU tried to return a hard shot from UTD's Pattie Allen and hit the ball into the net.

The first three sets were decidedly one-sided. The Comets gave up a 20-11 ETBU run in the first set to fall behind in a 16-25 loss. In the second set, UTD went on the run, using a 13-2 run to prevail 25-12. The Comets then jumped out of the gate for an 8-3 lead and never looked back, taking a 25-16 win in the third set.

UTD got a heroic effort from junior Kyleigh Irish, who as named the tournament Most Valuable Player. Irish, who has been injured the last two weeks and sat out the first set. after struggling in the Friday semifinal match, came in to start the second set and sparked the Comets with 14 kils and 10 digs through the decided three sets.

Amber Wetz, who added 14 kills, and setter Niki Calverley, who contributed 44 assists, were also selected to the all-tournament team.

The Comets also got a 10 kills from Allen and six more from Aubrey Bratcher. Allen was credited with four assisted blocks as was Jessica Nassau. Senior Krissie Seaman led UTD with 13 digs.

CHAMPIONSHIP BOXSCORE