After losing 3-2 in their last meet-up, the Longhorns got their revenge against the Sooners in a clean three-set sweep Saturday evening.
The Nov. 3 match against Oklahoma was the last loss in a streak of three unsuccessful games that left Texas fans reeling with questions: Does Texas have the potential to be on par with its national championship record? Are they ready for the NCAA rounds this year? Are the Longhorns able to be successful in Southeastern Conference play?
The last three games since that losing streak have answered each of those questions with a resounding, yes. In the games since the Oklahoma loss, the Longhorns have bested Mississippi, Auburn, Alabama, and now, Oklahoma — all at their home turfs and in four or fewer sets.
In this match against Oklahoma, the Longhorns took the Sooners down in sets of 25-14, 25-15 and 25-19. Texas started the first set with complete dominance, swinging at a hitting percentage of .467 and four aces. In the second set, Texas trailed 10-8 before grabbing a lead at 15-12 and carrying it to the end. The third set was finished almost as soon as it started, with Texas jumping to a 15-6 lead and holding on to it until the end of the match.
Senior outside hitter Madisen Skinner was formidable with 21 kills over just 29 attacks, giving her a hitting percentage of .690. This is Skinner’s fourth match this season with over 20 kills.
Skinner’s presence was missed on the court during most of this season. Head coach Jerritt Elliott attributes her success to a regained calmness.
“She’s been playing a lot more loose right now,” Elliott said in Wednesday’s media availability. “She’s just having fun enjoying the last couple of weeks.”
Junior libero Emma Halter led the Longhorns’ receiving line with 13 digs and four assists. Halter spoke about the Longhorns getting their groove back.
“It feels like we have a little bit of swagger back,” Halter said. “Like ‘We have control here,’ and we’ve been kind of trying to find that this whole season.”
For Halter, there was no particular moment during which the team suddenly found a collected confidence. The change came two weeks before the Oklahoma game, during a period in which the team was practicing constantly.
“It was just practice, practice, practice, and in that we were able to get a group and we were able to get systems in place that we felt weren’t there,” Halter said. “I feel like that week was a big turning point for us.”
When going into the second game against the Sooners, Elliott’s main focus was cleaning up play. The Longhorns’ biggest contributor to their downfall on Nov. 3 was the amount of penalties that were racked up on the court. With those cleaned up, the team looks the best they have all season.
Texas volleyball will return this coming week on Wednesday against Tennessee at 7 p.m. at Gregory Gym and a Saturday game against Ole Miss at 11 a.m.
