Last weekend’s sweeps of Oklahoma were the perfect way to kick off the second part of Texas volleyball’s season.
In order to stay at the top of the Big 12, Texas had to come out swinging and stay hot throughout Wednesday night’s four-set victory against conference rival No. 6 Baylor, ending with a final score of 3-1.
Junior middle blocker Brionne Butler jumpstarted Texas’ defense from the first set, recording two blocks early on in the match.
“Bringing in a lot of energy, making really big plays, and not taking any plays off really helped us get a lot of momentum in the first two sets,” Butler said.
However, Baylor wasn’t ready to give up the first set. The Bears kept the Longhorns within striking distance, never trailing by more than four points before junior outside hitter Logan Eggleston’s three kills gave them a 25-22 victory in the first set.
Texas managed to pull away in the second set for a 25-17 victory behind three straight service aces from Eggleston and a kill from sophomore opposite hitter Skylar Fields, something head coach Jerritt Elliott said was a game plan focus from the start.
“The area we were focused on in our game plan was setting our middles and opposites early,” Elliott said. “It really opened things up with Logan and our offense.”
But Baylor responded to the challenge in the third set.
The Bears put up a strong 3-0 start before Butler responded with three straight kills to tie it up early. But Baylor quickly took advantage of Texas’ miscues and pulled ahead 23-15, briefly giving Texas hope of a late comeback to pull off the sweep. However, the Bears’ momentum carried them over the finish line to snag their own 25-17 victory.
“We just had to put that behind us and honestly act like it never happened, and then try to start off strong in the fourth set,” Butler said.
Baylor kicked things off with a 4-0 run in the fourth set, though Texas consistently stayed two points behind. The Longhorns capitalized off an attack error from Baylor to tie the game back at 12.
The pressure was on for Texas, and a pair of kills by Eggleston and Fields along with a Baylor attack error put the Longhorns up 18-15. Three Texas blocks in a row put the nail in the coffin for Baylor, and Texas took the set 25-20.
“It’s always fun to play some good competition and someone who’s really well coached in that situation,” Elliott said. “We can’t get enough tough matches in. We need to get (the players) in stressful situations because the NCAA tournament is all about stress and how you react to it.”
Texas is guaranteed a spot in April’s upcoming NCAA tournament, but before then, its next battle is against Texas State at 7 p.m. Monday night at the Frank Erwin Center.
