A rivalry at its finest set the scene Friday night in Gregory Gym as Texas defeated Texas A&M in the NCAA tournament.

The consistent Longhorns completed a solid first set with Bailey Webster’s five kills, but the Aggies trailed closely behind.  The Longhorns finished the set off at 25-16.

The second set, however, was characterized by missed balls, Aggie points as the suddenly frazzled Texas struggled to keep up.  The Aggies nabbed the set with several streaks, concluding at 25-19 to tie the Longhorns.

Texas battled in the third set with nine tie scores and five lead changes, then took the reins and polished off the set with a Sha’Dare McNeal kill.

A composed Texas dominated the fourth set with seven kills by Haley Eckerman and a strong 7 point streak that the Aggies weren’t able to catch up with.

“As all season has proven, our team is steady and battles when the game is on the line,” head coach Jerritt Elliott said. “ I was pleased with it.”