University of Texas at Dallas

RICHARDSON, TX (11.06.09) – The UT Dallas Comets polished their perfect record on Friday, securing a 3-0 win (25-19, 25-18, 25-15) over Texas Lutheran in the semifinals of the American Southwest Conference Volleyball Tournament.

Now, UT Dallas (24-0, 18-0) will advance to the ASC title match and have a chance to extend their reign as league champions—and extend their conference win streak of 24 matches. The Comets will square off against Hardin-Simmons, a team UTD beat 3-1 back on Oct. 3, in Saturday’s 2:00 pm championship showdown.

But this time around, the stakes are raised. At risk: UTD’s undefeated record and an automatic bid to the NCAA III Tournament next week.

“We don’t talk about it,” UTD coach Marci Sanders of her team’s spotless record. “We haven’t talked about it since the season ended. We’re 1-0 right now. We’re trying to keep our heads straight. One game at a time.”

Against TLU, Amber Wetz posted 15 kills and 16 digs—both team highs—and Dana Hilzendager notched a double-double (10 kills, 10 digs) as the Comets blazed past the Bulldogs with a balanced offensive attack.

In Games 1 and 2, UTD slogged through the opening points and allowed TLU to build a pair of 3-0 leads. But the Comets bounced back from early deficits in both games, limiting the Bulldogs to less than 20 points in every frame.

UTD put together four separate 3-0 runs in Game 3 behind Wetz’s and Hilzendager’s stellar play. Freshman Halea Williams, who contributed four kills, totaled five of UTD’s nine blocks—three of which came in the final game.

Niki Calverley dished out 39 assists, while Melanie Power and Kyleigh Irish recorded 15 and 14 digs, respectively.

Fans and followers can check out UTD’s “Tournament Central” website, complete with live blogs, stats and an audio broadcast of tomorrow’s title game, scheduled for 2:00 pm at the UTD Activity Center.