Following Friday afternoon’s sweep of the Oklahoma Sooners in Austin, the Texas Longhorns volleyball team once again proved Saturday why they deserve to be in the conversation for the top spot in the Big 12 Conference standings. 

The match started in a similar fashion to Friday’s contest, with a tug of war quickly ensuing between the two rivals.

After trading points in the beginning of the first set, the Texas offense kicked into high gear and launched their trademark attack, grabbing a 15-12 lead.

Oklahoma responded with a dominant run generated by several Texas errors, and the two teams were tied 23-all as they both inched toward the end of the set. After a kill by junior outside hitter Logan Eggleston and an Oklahoma attack error, the Longhorns were victorious by the skin of their teeth.

After a close win in the first set, Texas jumped all over Oklahoma in a runaway second set, storming to a 14-5 lead and ultimately taking it all 25-10. In the second set alone, the Longhorns put up three aces and had 12 kills by six different players.

Just a set away from sweeping the game and the series, Texas started with an early 4-2 lead, but the Sooners kept the set in arm’s reach. After some late-game heroics from Oklahoma’s offense, Texas found themselves in a tie once again, this time 19-19. 

However, after winning five sets in a row against the Sooners, the Longhorns weren’t ready to break the streak. 

After a last-minute block shared by junior middle blocker Brionne Butler and sophomore middle blocker Molly Phillips, Texas took the set 25-22.

The Longhorns came into this game with something to prove, and with eight more games on the horizon the Longhorns showcased their ability to return to business as usual after over 100 days off the court. Business as usual, of course, includes a dominant offense, a brick-wall defense and star players looking to create big opportunities.

The Longhorns await a home matchup Wednesday against the No. 6 Baylor Bears at 7 p.m.