GEORGETOWN, Texas â€" The Texas Lutheran volleyball team split a pair of non-conference matches against Elmhurst and Texas-Dallas on Friday at the Southwestern University Invitational.
 
The split moved the Bulldogs' record to 14-7 on the year and gave the squad a break from conference play, having played half of the SCAC schedule.
 
The Bulldogs finished up the day on a high note, sweeping Texas-Dallas 31-29, 25-20, 26-24. It was the second time this season they swept the Comets, having accomplished the feat earlier in the year at the Austin College Invitational.
 
A sweep can sometimes signal a blowout, however the Bulldogs' matchup against the Comets was anything but. Twice the two teams needed extra points to settle the set, including an epic first frame that saw the Bulldogs tally 31 points to put the Comets away.
 
The final set of the match saw the Bulldogs battle back from a 23-21 deficit. Four different players notched kills in TLU's final five points, finishing off the Comets with a 5-1 run capped off by a Haley Lasseter (New Braunfels, Texas) kill. The Bulldogs had actually held a 16-9 lead in the final frame, but Texas-Dallas rattled off seven of the next eight points to claw its way back into it.
 
Three different Bulldogs finished the match with double-digit kills. Lasseter was one of those three players, tallying a season-high 11 kills on .286 hitting. Those 11 kills were the most she's recorded since tallying 15 against Schreiner in 2012. The junior also added four digs and a block to her day.
 
Anna Keeling (Houston, Texas) and Kristin Fording (San Antonio, Texas) were the other two Bulldogs with double-digit kills. Both players notched 11. Keeling boasted a .385 hitting percentage, while Fording hit .186.
 
When Texas Lutheran is playing at its best, it's scrapping for every ball on defense, prolonging rallies and making the other team work exceptionally hard to score every point. That's exactly what the Bulldogs did against the Comets, as their 106 digs were the third most they've tallied this season, despite only playing three sets.
 
Four different Bulldogs ended the match with double-digit digs. Unsurprisingly, the leader was Megan Lee (Universal City, Texas) and her 27 digs. The senior also tallied one kill, one assist and one ace to her day.
 
Savannah Erskine (Burnet, Texas) racked up a season-high 20 digs. Megan Dugie (San Antonio, Texas) and Katie Darst (Euless, Texas) were the other two in double figures.
 
Darst was exceptional from her setter position. She finished with her fifth double-double, adding 30 assists to go along with those 14 digs. It was the second double-double she's recorded against the Comets, both times tallying a season-high 14 digs.
 
The Bulldogs began their Friday doubleheader with a 15-25, 18-25, 22-25 loss to the 10th-ranked Elmhurst Bluejays. The Elmhurst defense held the Bulldogs to just .042 hitting on the day, their lowest hitting percentage of the season. It was just the sixth time TLU has been held below .120 hitting on the year. All six times, the Bulldogs have lost.
 
Texas Lutheran couldn't do enough on its own defensive end to combat the Bluejays, as Elmhurst finished with .254 hitting, the second-highest mark an opponent has hit against the Bulldogs.
 
The Bulldogs did show some consistent fight, scoring more points in each set as the match progressed. They finished the third set with .175 hitting, a big improvement from the .047 percentage in the opening set.
 
Darst notched 20 of the Bulldogs' 23 total assists. The senior from Euless, Texas also tallied seven digs against the Bluejays.
 
Lee (Universal City, Texas) led the team with 14 digs, marking just the fifth time this season she finished with less than 15 digs.
 
The reprieve from SCAC play is short-lived for the Bulldogs, as they jump right back into conference action next weekend. They travel to Kerrville, Texas and Schreiner University for a three-match SCAC pod. They take on Schreiner on Friday, Oct. 10 before wrapping up the weekend against Southwestern and Trinity on Saturday.