RICHARDSON, TX (10.26.21) - Thanks to a brisk 3-0 home win over East Texas Baptist Tuesday night, the UT Dallas volleyball team has secured the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye at next month's ASC Championship Tournament.

The Comets (14-9, 12-4 ASC) now have just matches left in the regular season, both at home this weekend, before heading the ASC Championship in Belton, Nov. 4-6. UTD returns to action Friday at 6 p.m. against Howard Payne before closing the regular season at 2 p.m. Saturday for Senior Day against Sul Ross State.

UTD hit an impressive .322 on the night, the second-highest by the squad this season, while averaging 17.0 digs per set in the sweep of the Tigers, 25-19, 25-17, 25-19. Allison Owen led the Comets with 11 kills while Gabi Sommerfield and Catherine Croft each added 10 kills. Libero Rachel Baxter collected a match-high 23 digs while setter Sydney Fitt sparked the Comets' 6-2 offense with 27 assists, a match high.

The Comets had their best hitting set to open the dual, hitting .389 in the opening stanza for a 25-19 victory. Owen, Sommerfield and Croft each contributed five kills as UTD finished the set with19 kills to just five errors. 

UTD cooled off slightly in the second set, hitting .275, using a balanced offensive attack. Croft and Madison Ball each had a set-high three kills as seven different Comets had at least one kill in the 25-17 victory.

The Comets used a 7-0 run on the service of Fitt in the third set to guide her squad to an eventual 25-19 win to complete the sweep. Abby Jones had six kills in seven swings without an error while Owen added four kills in a set where UTD hit .308 as a team.