BELTON, TX (11.06.21) - The UT Dallas volleyball team is a conference champion for the seventh time in program history after the Comets upended No. 13-ranked Mary Hardin-Baylor, 3-1, in the ASC Tournament title match Saturday afternoon at the Mayborn Campus Center.

POSTMATCH INTERVIEW WITH HEAD COACH MARCI ALLISON AND COMETS CATHERINE CROFT AND SYDNEY FITT

ASC TOURNAMENT CENTRAL

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

Now with the ASC's automatic berth, the Comets (17-9) have now qualified for the NCAA D-III National Tournament for the fifth time over the past seven seasons and eighth time in school history. The field for the 2021 NCAA D-III Tournament will be announced on NCAA.com at 11:30 a.m. (Central) on Monday, Nov. 8.

UTD's Catherine Croft was named the ASC Tournament Most Valuable Player after closing out the tournament with 20 kills, seven digs, two blocks and an ace in the upset of the top-seeded Cru. Comets Abby Jones and Allison Owen joined Croft on the All-Tournament Team, announced after the title match.

The Comets fell behind UMHB in the opening set, 7-3, before using a 9-1 run to exchange a four-point deficit to a four-point lead at 12-8. UTD never trailed again in the opening stanza en route to a 25-20 win over the Cru to set the tone for the match. Croft had six kills in the first as neither team found much success offensively. The Comets hit .037 in the while UMHB hit -.109. The two teams combined for 59 digs in the set with UTD holding a slim 30-29 advantage.

Host UMHB (24-2) turned things around in the second set, hitting .378 as a squad in a 25-15 win over the Comets to even the match. UTD hit just .106 in the set with Croft collecting six more kills.

The Comets responded with a solid third set, leading the game wire-to-wire. UTD took a 10-6 lead early in the set on a kill by Erin Rogers and never led by less than three points the rest of the way to a 25-21 victory, securing a 2-1 lead in the match. The Comets led by as many as nine points twice late in the set while hitting just .184 as a team. Croft led the way with four kills and Gabi Sommerfield added three kills and two blocks.

One set away from their fifth ASC title in seven seasons, the Comets had their best offensive performance in the fourth set, hitting .213 as a squad. Croft and Madison Ball each contributed four kills as UTD locked down the championship with a 25-22 win over the Cru. With the set tied, 19-19, the Comets scored two quick points on a kill by Croft followed by a UMHB error to take a two-point lead. UTD got late kills from Croft and Jones before back-to-back kills by Rogers to end the match.

Owen and Sommerfield each closed the match with eight kills while Ball and Rogers collected seven kills apiece. Jones and libero Rachel Baxter each corralled 21 digs as the Comets averaged 21.5 digs per set as a team. Setters Emma Sevening and Sydney Fitt had 27 and 21 assists, respectively, in UTD's 6-2 offense.

The Comets were making their eighth straight and 12th all-time appearance in the ASC title match, winning the league crown in 2008, 2009, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019. UTD is now 31-18 in their 18 all-time appearances in the ASC Tournament, holding the conference record for tournament titles (7) and tournament victories (31). UTD also ranks second all-time in tournament appearances behind East Texas Baptist (19). The Comets have qualified for the ASC Tournament in all 18 years of the program's existence.