ARKADELPHIA, Ark. - The UT Dallas volleyball team defeated Auburn Montgomery 25-14, 25-23, 26-28, 25-19 at the Duke Wells Center Friday morning for its first win of the season.

The Warhawks (0-4) took the initial lead in the first set with a service ace by Salome De Jesus, but the Comets (1-4) quickly responded with a kill from freshman Moriah Johnson, leveling the score at 2-2. A pivotal moment occurred as UTD capitalized on several attack errors by AUM, widening its lead to 12-6. Freshman Jane Burkhardt played a crucial role, delivering multiple kills and a service ace, helping the Comets extend the advantage to 18-10. Despite a brief rally by AUM, UTD maintained the momentum, concluding the set with a kill by Johnson to secure a 25-14 victory.

In the second set, the Comets capitalized on a series of errors from the Warhawks, leading to an early 7-3 advantage. Abby Gentner's service run, assisted by the Warhawks' handling errors, was crucial in expanding the lead. Despite the AUM's response, cutting the deficit to 17-15 with Kendall McCain contributing with key kills, UTD maintained its edge. Johnson's late kills from Sydney Sabin's assists helped the Comets regain momentum, culminating in a 25-23 set win. 

The Warhawks capitalized on service errors to gain an initial lead in the third game. As the set progressed, Sabin contributed significantly for the Comets with a pair of service aces at 13-8, initiating a brief lead. However, AUM responded effectively with De Jesus serving four consecutive aces, turning the tide to 15-13 in their favor. The set remained tense, with both teams trading points up to a 24-24 tie. Johnson managed a crucial kill to bring the Comets to 25-24, but AUM closed out the set with decisive kills from Emma Claire Long and an attack error by UTD for a 28-26 finish.

The fourth set began with a rapid exchange of points between the teams, with Johnson and McCain trading early kills to keep the score tight at 3-3. The Warhawks briefly pulled ahead with a 4-0 run, leading 5-3 before a service error allowed the Comets to halt the momentum. Key contributions from sophomore middle blocker Melia Mendoza-Flores and a service ace from Laura See saw UTD regain a narrow lead at 8-6. Jaslyn Montgomery's three consecutive kills mid-set shifted the advantage back to AUM at 14-12, but UTD responded with a decisive 6-0 run, including two service aces by See, to establish a commanding 21-16 lead. Junior Avery Pickard closed out the match with three of the final points coming off of kills.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by UTD Volleyball (@utdvball)

UTD hit .195 for the match with 46 kills, 10 aces, nine total blocks and 78 digs. AUM hit .116 with 48 kills, nine aces, five blocks and 74 digs.

UT Dallas Performances
Jane Burkhardt - 15 kills, 13 digs, first career double-double
Laura See - .308 attack percentage, 5 kills, 4 aces, 5 blocks
Sydney Sabin - 18 assists, 12 digs, 3 aces, 10th career double-double
Moriah Johnson  - 10 kills, 3 blocks
Mari Hernandez  - 19 digs, 7 assists
Abby Genter - 14 kills, 11 digs, first career double-double
Melia Mendoza-Flores, .333 percentage, 5 kills, 3 blocks
Avery Pickard - 4 kills, .667 percentage

Auburn Montgomery Performances
Salome De Jesus - 6 aces, 20 digs
Taylor Lewis - 19 digs
Kieara Vega - 23 assists
Anyaliz Rodriguez - 13 kills
Kendall McCain - 11 kills

Up Next
UTD will battle Ouachita Baptist on the Tigers' home court at 5 p.m. Friday.