No. 3 Texas volleyball bounces back with sweep victory over Cincinnati

Elijah Garcia, General Sports Reporter

November 12, 2023

Senior middle-blocker Asjia O’Neal throws her arms up in celebration after match point of the game against the University of Cincinnati on Nov. 11, 2023. O’Neal finished the game with nine kills and eight blocks.

After suffering its first loss in the Big 12 season against Kansas State, No. 3 Texas dominated Cincinnati to get back into the win column.

Throughout the match, Texas never looked phased, winning each set by double-digit points at 25-13, 25-14 and 25-13. The Longhorns were rolling on both offense and defense, hitting a season-best .476 hitting percentage with 46 kills while holding Cincinnati to a .062 hitting percentage and forcing 18 attacking errors. Texas enjoyed its first match back home since late October and improved to 14–1 in the Big 12 and 19–4 overall.

Texas star senior Asjia O’Neal cemented herself further into program history as she notched her record-breaking 545th block early in the first set, putting her in first place for the most blocks in school history. O’Neal passed Chiaka Ogbogu, who had held the record since 2017. O’Neal added nine kills on a .571 hitting percentage.

Junior outside hitter Madisen Skinner led the team in kills with 13 and a .632 hitting percentage. Skinner also added two aces and four blocks to her performance. Freshman setter Ella Swindle had 30 assists with three kills, an ace and two blocks.

In the first set, Texas set the tone for the rest of the match as they jumped out to a 7-1 lead early. The Longhorns looked determined to shake off the recent loss and continued to open the gap between the two teams, earning Texas the first-set win.

The rest of the match mirrored the first set. Texas used timely plays at the net and from the backline to go on huge runs in every set and play from ahead. The Longhorns used their dominance to clear the bench and get the rest of their roster some playing time.

Redshirt freshmen Kenna Miller, Marianna Singletary and Marina Crownover all got in to contribute to the dominant win. Sophomore Devin Kahahawai and junior Reilly Heinrich also got to play. Singletary earned two emphatic highlight kills throughout the match, getting the Texas fans on their feet.

Texas’ victory in commanding fashion puts its previous sweep loss to Kansas State in the rearview mirror. With only three games left in the regular season, Texas is one win away from securing its seventh consecutive Big 12 volleyball championship.

The Longhorns will stay home and take on Iowa State at Gregory Gym on Wednesday at 6:00 p.m.