Box Score SHERMAN, TX (10.22.13) - The UT Dallas volleyball team took a break from American Southwest Conference action Tuesday night, and won its 13th straight match, topping regional rival Austin College, 3-0.
The Comets, who improved to 24-6 on the season, pulled away from the Lady 'Roos in all three sets to post a 25-16, 25-18, 25-19 win.
Freshman
Blake Johnson caught fire for UTD, leading the way with 14 kills while hitting a remarkable .565 with only one attacking error. Sophomore
Abbie Barth followed with 11 kills and 12 digs while
Taylour Toso also finished in double figures with 10 kills.
Setter
Kayla Jordan had 40 assists in the three-set victory while liberos
Sam Flores and
Mary Speights combined for 26 digs. Barth added 12 digs on the back line.
Austin College took early leads in both the first and second sets, but UTD was able to knot up the score midway through the set.
In the first set, the Comets pulled away from a 10-10 tie to score five straight points and take a 15-10 lead on a
Holyn Handley block. Kills from
Meredith Crawford, Toso and Barth finished off a 10-3 run and put UTD up 20-13. After a brief Lady 'Roo rally, Johnson finished off the 25-16 win with a kill to the back corner.
The second set started much the same way, but UTD knotted the score at 8-8. Kills from Barth and Johnson sparked a 6-0 run that put the Comets up, 14-8. A pair of AC aces finally narrowed the margin to 17-14, but UTD scored five straight points with kills from Handley and Crawford to stretch the lead to 22-14 before ending with a 25-18 win in Set 2.
The Comets needed a bit more time to take control of the third and deciding set. UTD finally tied the score at 9-9, but needed four different AC attack errors to start stretching out the lead. UTD eventually built a 16-11 lead and was up 21-13 after three Barth kills. AC then went on a 3-0 run to cut into the lead, but the Comets ended it with a block on an extended rally to take the 25-19 win.
UTD, which has a two-game lead in the American Southwest Conference standings, plays its final two conference games this weekend in Brownwood against Hardin-Simmons and Howard Payne. UTD is one win away from assuring the right to host the ASC Championship Tournament Nov. 7-9.
