RICHARDSON, Texas –
Julia Hopkins turned in a career performance Friday night, recording a career-high 19 kills to lead the No. 7 Angelo State University volleyball team to a 3-1 victory over UT Dallas (22-25, 25-21, 25-11, 25-23) at the UTD Activity Center.
With the victory, the Belles improve to 16-1 overall and remain perfect in Lone Star Conference play at 6-0. UT Dallas falls to 7-7 overall and 3-2 in conference play.
Angelo State controlled the statistical battle throughout the match, outhitting the Comets .284 to .165 while holding advantages in kills (62-49), aces (6-2), blocks (10-3), assists (58-43) and digs (82-66).
UT Dallas capitalized on nine ASU attack errors and four service errors to take the opening set 25-22. The Belles answered with a tightly contested 25-21 victory in the second set before taking control of the match.
The Blue and Gold hit above .400 in each of the final two sets, cruising to a 25-11 win in the third before holding off the Comets 25-23 in the fourth to close out the match and remain unbeaten in LSC play.
Hopkins led all players with her career-best 19 kills while hitting .368 for the match.
Sydney Thornton added 12 kills on a .440 attack percentage, while
Hannah Barnhill and
Madi Parrish each recorded nine kills.
Vivian Parker added six kills, while
Leah Klueber finished with four.
Gabi Ashcraft paced the Belles with 28 assists, while
Olivia Pena added 18 assists.
At the net, Barnhill led all players with six total blocks. Thornton and Hopkins each added three blocks as the Belles finished with a 10-3 advantage in team blocks.
Allie Duitsman anchored the defensive effort with 18 digs, while Parrish and Ashcraft each recorded 16.
The Belles will close out the weekend Saturday, Oct. 3, with a pivotal matchup against UT Tyler in a battle between two of the top teams in the Lone Star Conference. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m. in Tyler, Texas.
