CLAREMONT, Calif. - The UT Dallas advanced to the Second Round of the NCAA Division III Volleyball Championship with a 13-25, 25-15, 25-22, 25-23 victory over #25 UC Santa Cruz at Roberts Pavilion Thursday night.

The Comets (21-5) will face the winner of the host #1 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Fontbonne on Friday at 9 p.m. CST.

The Banana Slugs (19-6) got off to a hot start in the first set, hitting .393 with just one error while the Comets only hit .032.

Up 11-9 in the second, UTD rattled off a 10-2 run to take control of the set and win by 10 points. The American Southwest Conference champions held of UCSC 25-22 in the third to go up two sets to one.

The Comets led 14-11 in the fourth set, but the Banana Slugs responded with a 10-4 rally to gain an 21-18 advantage. UTD answered with a 7-2 run to end the match. The Comets posted 17 kills in the fourth game.

For the match, UTD hit .247 with 53 kills, seven assists, five blocks and 59 digs. UCSC hit .238 on 54 kills, seven aces, seven blocks and 65 digs.

This is the fifth time in program history the Comets have reached the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. They also advanced in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2021.

UT Dallas Notes
- Three Comets led the team with 10 kills - Abby Jones, Catherine Croft and Madison Ball.
- Jones and Ball each recorded 13 digs for a double-double performance, while junior libero Rachel Baxter came up with 12.
- Baxter is the 12th player in Comet history to pass 1,000 digs in her career.
- Freshman right side Gabi Engels hit .368 on nine kills.
- Freshman Lauren Johnson hit a season-best .385 with six kills and two blocks.
- Croft also posted two blocks, including the match-ending solo stop.
- Junior setter Izzy Sundquist had 22 assists, while Emma Sevening had 20 assists and three aces.
- Senior middle Karle Lynd added eight kills.

UC Santa Cruz Notes
- Sydney Ahrendt led all players with 22 kills
- Peyton Tazelaar added nine kills and 10 digs.
- Emily Pasion posted 15 digs.
- Audrey Gilbert led the Banana Slugs with six blocks.
- Sinead Beaupain had 46 assists and 12 digs.

Up Next
- The Comets will face either undefeated #1 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps from the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference or Fontbonne of the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.