UT Dallas Volleyball

Kayla Jordan prepares to set the ball to Michelle Toro during a recent match against Bellhaven at the Activity Center. This season, Jordan became the UT Dallas all-time leader in assists, while Toro was just the fifth Comet in program history to earn national player of the week honors.

UT Dallas’ volleyball team is back in the postseason for the 12th straight year, and will host the American Southwest Conference Tournament starting today, riding a 20-match winning streak. 

The Comets (27-2, 11-0), ranked No. 15 in the NCAA Division III AVCA Coaches Poll, are seeking their third conference title and first since 2009. They will open play in the double-elimination tournament at 7:30 p.m. against either Concordia Texas or UT Tyler at the Activity Center.

“The girls have talked about what it takes to win a championship. One of the things they have come to understand is that when it comes tournament time, you got to turn it on. It's not the same competition level that you had during the regular season,” said head coach Marci Sanders, who has a 279-103 career mark in her 12 seasons with the Comets.

“They are prepared, and the experience will definitely make a difference for us here in the homestretch.” 

The Comets are led by senior Kayla Jordan, the program's career assists leader. She earned ASC Player of the Week honors four times this season, and her average of 11.9 assists per set is the best in NCAA Division III. 

UT Dallas Volleyball

The volleyball team has won 20 consecutive matches, the second-longest winning streak in the program's history. The Comets are seeking their third American Southwest Conference championship and first since 2009.

Junior Holyn Handley leads the Comets with 3.39 kills per set, hitting at a .247 clip, while junior Michelle Toro adds 3.16 kills and a team-best .381 hitting percentage. Toro became the fifth Comet in the program’s history to earn AVCA National Player of the Week honors. Junior Abbie Barth leads the Comets with 5.22 digs per set, while Toro ranks among the best in the ASC with 1.08 blocks per set.

As a team, the Comets lead NCAA Division III in assists per set (13.65) and digs per set (21.08), and rank second nationally in kills per set (14.12). UT Dallas is second in the ASC in hitting percentage (.243) and blocks per set (2.04).

This is the fourth time the University has hosted the ASC volleyball tourney. The Comets have a 13-13 all-time record in the event, and both of their ASC titles (2008, 2009) came at the Activity Center. The ASC winner earns an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament.

 

2015 ASC Volleyball Tournament Schedule 

Daily tournament admission is $8 for adults and $5 for students. Children under 5 are admitted free. All games will be played at the Activity Center. Souvenir T-shirts will be available for $20, while supplies last. Live stats and video will be provided for all matches at the Tournament Central website.

Today
Game 1 – East Texas Baptist vs. Hardin-Simmons, noon
Game 2 – Concordia Texas vs. UT Tyler, 2:30 p.m.
Game 3 – Mary Hardin-Baylor vs. Winner Game 1, 5 p.m.
Game 4 – UT Dallas vs. Winner Game 2, 7:30 p.m.

Friday
Game 5 – Loser Game 2 vs. Loser Game 3, noon
Game 6 – Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 4, 2:30 p.m.
Game 7 – Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 5 p.m.
Game 8 – Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday
Game 9 – Loser Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 11 a.m.
Game 10 – Championship / Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 9, 2 p.m.
Game 11 – (if needed) / Game 10 Teams, 6 p.m.

Parking information: Due to classes, spectators will not be able to park in Lot J, next to the Activity Center, today and Friday. Please park in Lot U, which is south of the tennis courts and the soccer field. A shuttle may be available to take spectators to and from the Activity Center. On Saturday, spectators can park in Lot J, but only in designated green spaces. For more information, check out the parking map.

More tournament information: 
Full ASC Field Release
Printable Bracket
Tournament History