WITH SATURDAY'S WIN OVER UT TYLER, THE COMETS REMAIN THE ONLY UNDEFEATED TEAM IN NCAA III
RICHARDSON, TX (10.31.09) – Over the past 58 days, the Comets have played 23 games. They have amassed 943 kills. They have had five players lionized as ASC Players of the Week.
And one more thing—they are still perfect.
The UT Dallas volleyball team put the icing on an undefeated regular season Saturday afternoon, drubbing ASC East rival UT Tyler 3-0 and remaining the lone program in NCAA III yet to lose a match. Now, the Comets have only one hurdle left before earning an automatic bid for the NCAA Tournament: Winning the ASC Tournament next week.
“I’m elated at the success the kids have had, but we’re 0-0 now,” said UTD coach
Marci Sanders. “We’ll celebrate tonight, but tomorrow it’s time to move on. We’re now undefeated and winless.”
UTD’s
Amber Wetz posted a team-high 12 kills,
Kyleigh Irish chipped in seven, and the Comets used a balanced offensive attack to claim its 10th straight win over UTT by a score of 25-14, 26-24, 25-19. The Patriots (11-20, 4-13), winners of two of their last three, will now finish 2009 fifth in the East Division.
The Comets set the tempo from the start. They fired off a pair of 7-0 runs in the first game, then inched back from an early deficit in the second, where it took a
Halea Williams kill to edge the Patriots, 26-24.
Wetz erupted in the final set, registering four kills down the stretch. UTD went on a 13-2 run that was capped by a Williams block. The Patriots crawled back to make the score 24-19, but Wetz cemented the win with an authoritative kill.
UTD will now host the ASC Tournament, which begins on Friday, Nov. 6. Because the Comets (23-0, 17-0) have clinched No. 1 seed, they will receive a first round “bye” before squaring off in a Friday night semifinal at the UTD Activity Center at 7:30 pm. The championship game of the tournament is set for 2 pm Saturday.
“Hopefully they’ll take care of business and defend their house,” said Sanders. “It has to come down to skill, execution and strategy. If we do the things we’ve been doing all season, we’ll be fine.”