Coming off a major upset loss at home against Miami, Texas rebounded on Wednesday when they beat the Houston Cougars in three for three sets, improving its record to 3-2.
Texas began its year on a rocky start. After opening the season with a major win against No. 3 Wisconsin, the team failed to perform to expectations against No. 18 Minnesota and unranked Miami, moving from the No. 1 spot to No. 6.
Against Minnesota and Miami, the Longhorns fell with an excess of defensive errors and out-of-bounds hits. With Minnesota, a comeback had seemed to be within reach. With Miami, the last three sets were not characteristic of defending national champions.
“We never talk about the rearview mirror,” head coach Jerritt Elliott said. “I think we’re just focusing on getting better and the process of what it takes. I mean we’re 10 or 11 days into the season. We’re trying to grow and that was an opportunity for them to do that tonight.”
In contrast, the battle against in-state opponent Houston had the Longhorns more closely resembling their old selves. This was evident on both sides of the ball, producing 48 kills and 7 service aces on the offensive side of the ball while finishing the match with 11.5 total blocks and 42 digs on defense. Texas saw a season-high in hitting percentage, succeeding on a whopping .370% of its hits.
The duel was defined by back-and-forth play and long rallies that saw both teams achieve success throughout regulation. Though Texas did go on some runs, none of them ran too long before being interrupted by a point from the Cougars. Despite the closeness of the match, the Longhorns were still able to pull out the win.
The end of the third set was electric, with the crowd getting more and more energetic with each Texas point until the score settled at 25-20, with a tip from senior outside hitter Jenna Wenaas to win the game point.
Standouts of the match featured some familiar names, most notably senior outside hitter Madisen Skinner who led the team in kills for the fourth time out of the five matches that Texas has played so far this season. Junior libero Emma Halter also performed in tune with past performances, recording 11 digs and three service aces. Redshirt sophomore and middle blocker Marianna Singletary impressed with seven blocks, while sophomore setter Ella Swindle finished with 37 assists, her most in a match this year.
Redshirt senior transfer Reagan Rutherford followed closely behind, recording 12 kills along with four blocks. Elliott attempted to recruit Rutherford straight out of high school, yet she spent her freshman year at the University of Kentucky. Eventually, she made her way back to Texas.
“I think this one was just a level of competition that doesn’t compare anywhere else. … Being home is nice but surrounding myself with a home is great too,” Rutherford said.
The win against Houston was a much-needed boost for a team that had some disappointing results early this year. With this victory, Texas can now head into their two-game road trip with momentum. They will go on to play at No. 2 Stanford on Sunday, an opportunity to possibly reclaim a spot in the top five.
“(Stanford is) a big time match for us, (tonight’s win) is a good confidence booster for our team, I think there’s some things obviously that we’re working on — and every night’s a challenge and I just like the way that we responded (against Houston),” Elliott said.
