No. 5 volleyball improves to 2-0 in Big 12 play with win over No. 8 Kansas

By Steve Lansdale

AUSTIN, Texas — In an early-season matchup of national heavyweights, the No. 5 University of Texas volleyball team knocked off No. 8 Kansas, 3-1 (27-25, 25-16, 18-25, 25-19) Saturday in its Big 12 home opener at Gregory Gymnasium.

The matchup was the third straight between UT and KU in which both teams were ranked among the top 10 teams in the nation.

The Longhorns extended their wining streak over the Jayhawks to 25 consecutive matches, thanks in part to [s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)]their .351 hitting percentage. Junior outside hitter Ebony Nwanebu led the way for UT, hitting .514 and piling up 20 kills. Freshman outside hitter Micaya White had a team-high 22 kills and hit .348, which trailed only Nwanebu.

Junior Cat McCoy added a team-leading 17 digs, while freshman Orie Agbaji had six blocks, giving her three or more in three consecutive matches.

Texas head coach Jerritt Elliott said that he was pleased with the way his team responded after dropping the third set.

“I think we just stayed steady when we gave up games,” Elliott said. “We let a lot of easy balls go. We had a lot of situations where we just, we gave up some opportunities for points and when a team hits four of five on you in a game it’s going to be tough to be able to win that game. We responded. I liked the way we did. Our offensive numbers are good right now and we’ve got to be able to earn points and get in transitions and give ourselves some opportunities. Because when we do that, it becomes overwhelming for teams with players like these taking swings over and over again. And when they’re getting first ball kills and tools and missed digs, it gets a little bit more challenging for us to put up some runs.”

Nwanebu said that part of the inspiration for the Longhorns’ performance came from their home loss Sept. 18 to Wisconsin.

“Obviously we lost on our home court and it isn’t fun to lose,” she said. “That’s kind of a wakeup call and it’s a learned lesson so I feel like that’s set the tone for what the rest of the season’s going to be like.”

With the victory, the Longhorns improve to 10-2 overall, and 2-0 against Big 12 opponents. They will head north of the Red River this week to face Oklahoma at 6 p.m. in a match that will be broadcast live on ESPNU.

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