Despite taking their last two matchups to a fifth set, the No. 2 Texas Longhorns volleyball program only needed three to settle Sunday afternoon’s battle against the No. 9 Arizona State Sun Devils with a win.
This game marked their first in the Gregory Gymnasium since last season, and they used the support of a loud home crowd to extend their win streak by one more game.
Junior outside hitter Torrey Stafford had another strong performance, recording 12 kills, but it was freshman outside hitter Cari Spears who led Texas’ attack in this game. In just her sixth game with the program, she logged 18 kills and four blocks, showing up for the Longhorns in several key moments.
“She put up six kills a game, which is First Team All-American numbers, and she keeps getting better and better,” head coach Jerritt Elliott said after the game. “Her connection with Ella (Swindle) is getting better, and our passers are doing a good job of getting them in a rhythm.”
Junior setter Ella Swindle and senior libero Emma Halter helped regulate the flow of the game for Texas, making it easier for their outside hitters to get clean shots off. This organized, composed volleyball made itself known throughout each set of the competitive matchup.
The second set was the tightest of the three, as the two teams stayed within two points of each other throughout the entirety of its duration. The Longhorns claimed the first point of the set, but their next lead didn’t come until later in the match, when a kill by Spears ended a long rally and moved the score to 20-19.
Ultimately, Texas claimed the set 30-28, a score that demonstrates each team’s unwillingness to be removed from contention. Spears totaled nine kills in the second matchup alone, her ninth coming in the set’s final point to help Texas secure a victory.
“You’re always looking for execution and how you play over a period of time,” Elliott said. “I thought tonight we did a good job. We obviously fought off game two and were able to get ourselves somewhat better in game three.”
Using the momentum created by their second set comeback, the Longhorns established a significant lead early on in the third set and held onto it until the match’s end. The Longhorns closed out their reverse sweep with a 25-15 victory, one of their more sizable wins so far this season.
As far as the first set goes, the Longhorns went back and forth with the Sun Devils for the first 10 points of the first set, but a 5-0 run, which included kills by Spears, Stafford and freshman middle blocker Taylor Harvey, helped Texas pull away for good and claim the set with a score of 25-18.
This team has now beaten five top-25-ranked opponents this season, and they look to keep their hot streak going against TCU on Wednesday, Sept. 17, in the Gregory Gymnasium.
