UT-Dallas defeats UMHB volleyball in ASC Championship rematch

Above photo by Russell Marwitz/True To The Cru/russellmarwitz.com

BELTON- Less than 24 hours after defeating LeTourneau, the UMHB volleyball team returned to the court and battled league rival UT-Dallas in a rematch of last season’s ASC Championship match on Saturday afternoon. Both teams put up an inspired fight, though UTD came up with a 3-2 victory in five sets. UMHB is now 9-3 overall and 3-2 in ASC play.

How it happened

UMHB opened the first set with four straight points, extending the advantage to 7-2 on Hannah Frasca’s first kill of the afternoon. UTD called a timeout immediately following the play, regrouped and cut the deficit to just three points, 8-5. The Crusaders again pulled away before the Comets found another scoring run late, cutting the margin to 20-18 on Catherine Croft’s kill. UMHB closed the set with four of the final six points, earning a 25-20 victory, taking a 1-0 lead in the match.

UTD battled back, however, in set two. The lead for either team never was extended to more than five points, and it was 20-18 in favor of UTD late in the set after another kill from Frasca.

But the Comets pulled away for a 25-20 win, then followed that up with a 25-18 victory in the third set.

With the pressure on, UMHB tied the score at 2-2 in set four, and held the lead all the way through. UTD tied it at three apiece early on, but that was the closest the Comets got.

UTD came out firing on all cylinders in the decisive fifth set, however, opening it up with a 12-0 run. The lead was simply too great to overcome for the Crusaders, as the Comets rose to the occasion. UMHB slightly cut into the deficit, though UTD won the set, and the match, 15-5.

Box Score	1	2	3	4	5	Final
UT-Dallas	20	25	25	19	15	3
UMHB	25	20	18	25	5	2

Notable Numbers

UMHB hit .161 in the match, with 55 kills on 192 attacks. The Cru had 11 more kills than their opponents, with 116, though UTD finished with 12 more kills (67).

Stats Leaders

Kaylie Vasil once again led UMHB in kills, with 16, and Frasca contributed with a season-high 15. Katie Warden added 13, as the trio accounted for 44 of the Cru’s 55 kills. Ella Brunson led the team with 25 assists, and Sydney Bowen had 20. Dravyn Hurd also tallied two solo blocks.

For UTD, Abby Jones recorded 21 kills, including four in the all-important 12-0 run that began the fifth set.

Up Next

UMHB has a relatively quick turnaround, facing Hardin-Simmons on Tuesday night in Abilene, as the ASC schedule continues. That match is set for 6 p.m. CT.