GEORGETOWN, TX (10.28.16) - After not having a win over a Top 10 opponent in the program's first 12-plus seasons, the No. 4-ranked UT Dallas volleyball team now has two such wins in its last three outings after a 3-0 victory over No. 5-ranked Southwestern Friday night on the road.
The Comets (now 25-1) rolled off their 20th consecutive win with the their third victory over a nationally ranked program this season, earning set scores of 25-17, 25-20, 25-22. UTD will wrap up the regular season Saturday with a 5 p.m. home match with No. 24-ranked Hendrix at the UTD Activity Center.
Senior middle blocker
Michelle Toro finished with a match-high 13 kills along with a pair of blocks while freshman outside hitter
Dylan Brinkman added 11 kills and 18 digs as the Comets secured the second 20-match winning streak in school history. The Comets finished the sweep with a .229 team hitting percentage while collecting six blocks and six service aces.
The Comets got off to a hot start in the opening set as UTD took an early 13-3 lead, giving up all three points to host Pirates (now 27-3) on service errors. Southwestern rallied late to draw back to single digits, but a five-kill performance by Toro lifted UTD to the 25-17 win.
The Pirates controlled most of the second set, even taking a 19-14, only to watch UTD dominate the end of the stanza en route to a 2-0 lead. After a bad set by SU for a side out, the Comets climbed within three points, 19-16, on a
Lauren Schilling kill. After a Pirate point, the Comets got back the service on another Schilling kill, putting the ball in the hands of
Fayna Zeng, who rolled off eight straight points to lead UTD to the 25-20 victory.
The Comets would then have their best hitting performance of the night in the third set, hitting .286 as a team to spark UTD to a 25-22 win and the sweep. After a slow start to the match, Brinkman would tally seven kills in the third set, while adding six digs and a pair of blocks to lead the Comets.
Freshman libero
Briana Tully had a match-high 25 digs (8.3 per set), while Zeng dished out 29 assists, nearly 10 per set in the Comets' 6-2 offense. and added three aces.
