SAN ANTONIO, Texas - The UT Dallas volleyball team opened the 2023 season with a pair of losses at the Trinity National Tournament on Friday. The Comets fell to #15 UW-Oshkosh 25-20, 25-16, 25-19 before dropping a five-set decision to Whitworth, 25-12, 22-25, 25-23, 22-25, 15-13.

In the opener, the nationally-ranked Titans hit .247 with 39 kills, seven assists, six blocks and 42 digs. The Comets hit .133 while recording 32 kills, three aces, two blocks and 29 digs. The match featured seven ties and three lead changes.

The nightcap against the Pirates (1-1) was teeter-totter affair with 45 ties and 24 lead changes throughout the five-setter. The final set was tied seven times with the lead being exchanged twice. The match ended after Whitworth recorded a kill and a block after being knotted up at 13-13.

UTD hit .067 with 51 kills, six aces, eight blocks and 64 digs in the second match. The Pirates had a .124 attack percentage with 45 kills, nine aces, 17 blocks and 58 digs.

UT Dallas Notes
- Nine players made their debut for the Comets, including seven freshmen.
- Freshman outside hitter Bailey Schievelbein recorded 26 kills and 24 digs on the day, including a double-double of 15 kills, 16 digs against Whitworth.
- Senior right side Erin Rogers had 11 kills versus the Pirates.
- Sophomore Lauren Johnson hit .320 in the two matches with 10 kills. 
- Senior setter Emma Sevening had 36 assists on the day, moving into sixth on the Comet career list with 1,096.
- Libero Rachel Baxter recorded 13 digs in the nightcap.
- Freshman Kinsley Gates had seven blocks on Friday, including five against Whitworth.

UW-Oshkosh Notes
- Sami Perlberg led the Titans with 10 kills.
- Izzy Coon assisted 20 points, while Kelli Mau added 13.
- Abby Fregien led the back row with 13 digs.
- RIley Dahlquist came up with four blocks.

Whitworth Notes
- Logan Spencer was the leader of the Pirates offense with nine kills.
- Josephine Thompson had 18 assists and nine digs.
- Taylor Miche led all players with 20 digs.
- Abigail Hudson posted eight kills and seven blocks.

Up Next
- The Comets face the host of the tournament, #2 Trinity (Texas), at 2:30 p.m. Saturday to wrap up the weekend.