It looks as though senior setter Hannah Allison has reclaimed her role as the starting setter of the top-ranked Longhorns.
And she did so in a dominating fashion against the first ranked opponent Texas has faced since late September.
Allison recorded a season-high 52 assists, while junior outside hitter Haley Eckerman logged a game-high 19 kills helping top-ranked Texas (17-2, 10-0 Big 12) down No. 25 Oklahoma 3-1 (25-15, 25-17, 25-27, 25-21) on Saturday evening in Norman to stay perfect in conference play and carry its win streak to 13 games.
But Allison didn’t just set up teammates; she had kills and blocks. Allison tied sophomore middle blocker Molly McCage with a game-high eight blocks while recording four kills of her own.
With a tight start to the game at 12-11, Texas pulled away from the Sooners (18-5, 6-3 Big 12) in the first game with an 11-2 run to take a 23-13 lead behind Eckerman’s offense and the Sooners’ errors. The Longhorns wound up dominating, as they outhit the Sooners .355-.036.
The second game wasn’t as close in the beginning. Texas built a quick 8-3 advantage as the Sooners struggled to find their way around the Texas block. Oklahoma battled back, cutting the lead to three at 17-14. Texas took the next two points before going on a 4-0 run to seal the match and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
Oklahoma took the third game from Texas — the first time it has won a game against the Longhorns since Nov. 26, 2011 — as it held on to its early lead to squeak out a 27-25 win and force a fourth game. The Sooners started the game with consecutive aces before the Longhorns clawed their way back. But Texas was unable to take advantage of their match point, while Oklahoma put theirs away.
Texas went on a 7-3 run to close the fourth game and secure its 10th Big 12 win in as many tries.
The Longhorns have a midweek bye before hosting Kansas on Saturday.