Interesting Stats:
– The Longhorns sophomore class had a good night against the No. 21 Jayhawks on Friday. Middle blocker/outside hitter Khat Bell had a career night registering 10 blocks and outside hitter Haley Eckerman logged her third consecutive double-double with 12 digs and 16 kills.
– The Longhorns had 11 blocks to Kansas’ five.
– Texas is 7-0 in conference play and has swept all of their Big 12 opponents so far this season.
Kansas lost because….
They logged 29 errors with a hitting line of .101. Despite 16 kills by Kansas’ Catherine Carmichael, the Jayhawks could not avoid hitting errors that contributed to the Longhorns’ lead.
Texas won because….
Eckerman and Bell, along with juniors Bailey Webster and Hannah Allison, turned in excellent performances with few errors. In addition to Eckerman’s double-double and Bell’s career-high block count, Webster added one dig and 10 kills to the night with Allison posting 28 assists and three blocks. Eckerman also hit .484 for the night.
Set-by-Set
Set 1:The Longhorns jumped to an early lead in the first set with 13 kills and only two errors. Kansas was never able to build any momentum and trailed the entire set. The Longhorns hit .440 to Kansas’ .133 and won the set with a score of 25-14.
Set 2: Kansas came out fighting in the second set, tying the Longhorns 15-15 before taking a three-point lead. However, Eckerman stepped up, registering several kills to put the Longhorns ahead. The Longhorns hit .114 and turned in a match-high eight errors; however, Kansas hit .048 with nine errors. Texas narrowly edged the Jayhawks 25-22 after several key blocks by Allison and Bell toward the end of the second set.
Set 3: The Longhorns had some trouble in the third set and Kansas almost forced a fourth. However, 12 errors by the Jayhawks to the four by Texas doomed Kansas and led to the 26-24 Longhorn victory that gave the Longhorns the 3-0 victory. Kansas’ Carmichael led the Jayhawks to a 23-20 scoreline. However, Eckerman led a 4-1 run that tied the score 24-24. An error by the Jayhawks and block gave the match to Texas.
What’s next:
Texas will continue Big 12 play this Wednesday with Iowa State at 7 p.m. at Gregory Gym in Austin. Last season, the Longhorns went 2-0 against the Cyclones. In early October, Iowa State took the match to 5 sets, but Texas outlasted the Cyclones for the 3-2 win. Later during the season, Texas swept Iowa State when they visited Austin a month later. The Longhorns are 31-3 against the Cyclones and are 18-0 for matches played in Austin.
