ABILENE, TX (09.21.21) - The UT Dallas volleyball team suffered a tough loss Tuesday night as the Comets opened a three-match ASC road trip with a 3-1 defeat at Hardin-Simmons.

The Comets (5-7, 3-2 ASC) have now lost two of their last three matches and will look to bounce back Friday night with a 6 p.m. match at Sul Ross State. UTD will then close its current road trip at 2 p.m. Saturday at Howard Payne in Brownwood.

UTD got off to a hot start in the opening set of the match, leading the host Cowgirls, 13-4. However, HSU rallied with a 6-0 run to claw back into the set. But the Cowgirls would not catch the Comets until knotting the set, 20-20. UTD then pulled ahead, 23-21, before the Cowgirls scored the final four points of the stanza to win, 25-23.

The Comets rallied in the second set for a 25-22 win to even the match. UTD hit .286 in the second set, amassing 14 kills to just four errors, and took the lead at 8-7 and never trailed again. The Cowgirls made a late run in the set, using a 7-1 run to draw within a point, 23-22, before the Comets got a kill from Allison Owen and a block from Gabi Sommerfield and Hannah Paine to end the set.

Unfortunately, the Cowgirls would hold off UTD in the third and fourth sets with 26-24 and 25-22 scores, respectively. The Comets struggled again offensively in the third, hitting just .149 as a team in the set, but bounced back again with an impressive .371 team hitting percentage in the fourth. However, HSU hit .455 in the fourth, committing just one error, to complete the victory.

Catherine Croft led the Comets with 13 kills while adding 13 digs, also a team high, and a block. Abby Jones finished with 11 kills and Owen had 10 to round out the Comets in double figures. Setter Sydney Fitt had 20 assists and Mikayla Cho added 13 assists. Cho shared the team lead with Croft with 13 digs as well.