MARSHALL, Texas – After a short break in the schedule, the East Texas Baptist University volleyball team is back in action this week playing three matches at Ornelas Gymnasium. ETBU will first take on the top team in the ASC East, the University of Texas-Dallas on Tuesday, Oct. 2, followed by contests on Friday night vs. Belhaven University and Saturday afternoon against Louisiana College. ETBU is 9-9 overall and 3-4 in the American Southwest Conference East Division.

Leading the attack for the Tigers is Sydney Lopez, who has recorded a team-leading 169 kills for an average of 3.2 per set. Bailey Byas ranks second in kills with 139 and 2.5 per set. Elyse Shaw has paced the offense for much of the year totaling 351 assists. Meredith Augsburger adds 182 assists. Annie Harris leads in service aces, recording 10, and has 39 blocks. Julia De Los Santos is first on the team in digs with 208. Paige Miller ranks second in digs tallying 163.

UTD enters Tuesday night's contest after defeating BU and LC this past week. In the previous matches, the Comets own the overall series going 22-13 through 35 matches played. UTD came away with the 3-0 sweep of ETBU in the matchup on Sept. 11 in Richardson, Texas. The Tigers were able to pull off the 3-2 upset victory over UTD in Ornelas Gymnasium last season. The Comets are 11-6 overall and 6-1 in ASC East contests.

BU has managed an overall record of 8-8 and a 1-6 mark in ASC East play entering Friday night's match. In the last meeting, ETBU was able to come out on top, sweeping the Blazers 3-0 in Jackson, Miss. In the overall season series, the Tigers hold the decisive edge at 5-3 through the first eight matches.

ETBU closes the home stand with a match against LC on Saturday, Oct. 6. In just the program's second season, the Wildcats have an overall record of 4-11 and a 2-6 mark in the ASC East. Overall, the Tigers are a perfect 3-0 against LC, including a 3-0 win over the Wildcats on Sept. 15 from Pineville, La.

While ETBU has not seen competition since taking on LeTourneau last week, Head Coach Keely Peterson said that the time off was much needed for her team in order to close out the season on a high note.

"The break could not have come at a better time for us. It really helped us get back on track and put a lot of things in perspective. We know we can't take any team in the ASC lightly and the girls know what we are capable of in any match. It really boils down to us minimizing mistakes and capitalizing on our opportunities," Peterson said.

ETBU will host UTD on Tuesday, Oct. 2 from Ornelas Gymnasium. The match is set for 7:00 p.m.