TYLER, Texas - The UT Dallas volleyball lost its second match at the Patriot Classic, falling to Ouachita Baptist 25-20, 25-13, 23-25, 25-18 at the Herrington Patriot Center Friday morning.

The first set began with a close contest as both teams exchanged points early, highlighted by Moriah Johnson's kill from Morgan Helms to tie the score at 1-1. Despite trailing 3-7, the Comets (0-2) saw a series of scoring contributions, narrowing the gap to 5-11. A late surge brought the score to 19-22, fueled by Abby Gentner's and Helms' offensive efforts, but the Tigers (1-0), who were picked the win the Great American Conference, ultimately secured the set 25-20, following a decisive kill by Emily Adams.

The Comets opened the second set with a kill from Laura See off an assist by Sydney Sabin, setting the tone for an early 5-1 lead. However, OBU responded with a series of points to pull ahead 12-7. Despite efforts from See and Helms, each recording a kill, the Tigers maintained their momentum to close out the set with a 25-13 victory.

The third set began with a service ace from Sabin, propelling the Comets into an early lead. Despite a brief surge from OBU, UTD responded with a dominant 7-0 run led by Averi Frazier's strong serving, including a service ace and multiple kills from Jane Burkhardt and Helms. As the set progressed, Ouachita managed to close a five-point gap, tying the score at 18-18. However, the Comets regained control with decisive kills from Jada Williams and Johnson, closing the set at 25-23 after an attack error by Margaret Scott.

The fourth set began with a tense exchange as service errors from both sides kept the score level early. Helms quickly found her stride, contributing a kill from Sabin to bring the score to a 2-1 advantage. Despite this early lead, the Tigers surged back with a string of points, highlighted by two consecutive kills from Riley Braziel, which pushed their lead to 9-4. Sabin attempted to narrow the gap with a service ace at 8-11, but Ouachita Baptist went on to extend their lead further, ultimately securing the set 25-18.

UT Dallas Performances
Morgan Helms  - 11 kills, .348 percentage, 4 digs
Laura See - 9 kills, .438 percentage
Moriah Johnson - 8 kills, 1 solo block
Jane Burkhardt  - team-best 18 digs, 1 solo block.
Sydney Sabin - 21 assists, 2 aces, tied career-high with 13 digs.
Mari Hernandez - 16 digs
Abby Gentner - 11 assists, 4 kills, 5 digs

Ouachita Baptist Performances
Haley Fairchild - 12 kills, .611 percentage
Courtney Hanson - 38 assists, 10 digs, 1 ace
Leah Gardner - 16 kills, .762 hitting percentage, 4 blocks, 21 points
Kylie Kisgen - 17 digs

Up Next
The Comets will continue play at the Patriot Classic against #5 Ferris State at 6 p.m. Friday.
 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by UTD Volleyball (@utdvball)