Box Score

GEORGETOWN, TX --- Texas-Dallas' perfect season came screeching to a halt on Thursday (Nov. 12) as the nationally-ranked Comets dropped a 3-0 decision (25-14, 25-21, 25-22) to Maryville College in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Volleyball Championship. American Southwest Conference champion UTD ended its season with a 25-1 record.

The Scots, winless in eight previous trips to the national stage, handed UTD its only loss of the 2009 season. And it was a costly one—it ended the Comets unforgettable win streak, ushering them to a second straight early exit from the NCAAs.

“We told them this can’t be the memory they take away from this season,” UTD coach Marci Sanders said. “(Maryville) did exactly what they needed to against us. This definitely has to be one of the harder regions.”

The Comets completed a flawless regular season (23-0), the first in ASC history, before defending their league title in a 3-2 win over Hardin-Simmons on Nov. 7. They remained the only unbeaten team in NCAA III for the past two weeks, rising to No. 9 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll.

But on Thursday, UTD turned in a stagnant Game 1 and could not recover, reeling for a majority of the match as Maryville (30-5) hit .220 throughout. The Comets, who combined for 11 service and receiving errors, hit just .062 and were led by Dana Hilzendager’s seven kills and 11 digs.

“They need to keep their chin up about the positive experience they had this year and not let this (loss) stay with them,” Sanders said. “They’ve got to remember the 25-0.”

The Scots manufactured runs of 6-0 and 7-0 in Game 1, then fended off a late UTD surge in Game 2—sparked by two Jessica Nassau kills—to build a 2-0 lead. Hilzendager kept the Comets alive in Game 3, and Nassau capped a 4-0 run to knot the score at 14-14, forcing a Maryville timeout. The Scots responded with a 6-2 run and eventually used a Kristin Findley kill to seal the match.

Kyleigh Irish, playing in her final collegiate game, chipped in seven kills for UTD. Nassau added six kills, and setter Niki Calverley dished out 24 assists. Finley and middle blocker Lindsy Little led the Scots with 11 and 10 kills, respectively, while Kara Strickland collected 12 digs.

Last season, the Comets advanced to the NCAA III Tournament and were similarly ousted in the first round of play. They fell 3-0 to Southwestern, a team that will square off against Maryville in the South regional semifinals on Friday. On the other side of the regional, Trinity (TX), after defeating Randolph-Macon 3-1, will face defending champion Emory University.

The Comets, now 0-2 in tournament play, will lose graduating seniors Irish and Pattie Allen in the offseason, but will return everyone else on Sanders’ ASC title-winning roster.

-Courtesy University of Texas at Dallas Sports information Department