By Steve Habel/Senior Editor
AUSTIN, Texas — It’s usually about this time of the volleyball season when Texas coach Jerritt Elliott starts really thinking about the upcoming NCAA tournament, and about how even the rare match in which the second-ranked Longhorns struggle a little can be used as a teaching tool for the tough road ahead.
There wasn’t much of that motivation to be dispensed Wednesday as Texas waylaid Oklahoma in straight sets, 25-22, 25-19, 25-15, in what should have been a much more competitive match before a crowd of 2,762 at Gregory Gym.
After sputtering a bit in the first set (most notably [s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)]with their serve, a sore point all season), the Longhorns (17-2 overall and 9-0 in Big 12 play) used their stifling defense to blow past Oklahoma in the final two set. Texas outhit the Sooners, .350-.183, out blocked Oklahoma, 9-2.5, outdug the visitors 44-43 and had five service aces to just one by the Sooners.
All in all, it was a dominating and satisfying performance for the Longhorns, especially after being extended to five sets last Saturday in a win at Texas Tech.
“I thought our defense in the second game tonight was the best it’s been all season,” Elliott said. “It’s something that we’ve been focused on lately, and if we can continue to play defense like we did in this match, we will be hard to handle.”
Texas got 14 kills and nine digs from freshman Micaya White, who was named Big 12 Freshman of the Week for the fifth time this season (tying a school record). Ebony Nwanebu and Paulina Prieto Cerame added nine kills apiece for the Longhorns, while Chloe Collins distributed 36 assists and Claire Hahn recorded a team-high 10 digs.
The Sooners (12-10 overall, 3-6 in Big 12 play) were led by Alyssa Enneking’s 11 kills, Audrey Alford’s 30 assists and Rachel Manriquez’s 14 digs.
The Longhorns struggled to win the first set, needing late heroics from Morgan Johnson (who had a ringing, short-set kill) and a combo-block from Yasmine Bedart-Ghani and Collins to win the final two points and secure a 25-22 victory. UT outhit Oklahoma, .400-.242, got six kills in the set from White and had three blocks while holding the Sooners without a single block. But Texas also had five service errors, allowing Oklahoma to stay in the set until the end.
“I like the fact that we didn’t get rattled after the first set,” Elliott said. “We played through a tough call (by the officials) and some spotty serving, but it’s actually good for us to struggle a little because it helps us in the long run.”
The Longhorns broke away from a 10-10 tie in the second set on the strength of a 7-1 run spurred by their defense, including a solo block by White at 13-10, a combo stoning by Nwanebu and Johnson at 14-11 and another by that duo at 16-11. Johnson added a kill and White added two more and another block, this time by Johnson and Bedart-Ghani, granted Texas the set at 25-19.
Three service aces by Collins in a four-point span helped turn a 9-8 Texas lead to a runaway in the third set. Paulina Prieto Cerame finished the match with the Longhorns’ final three swings — all kills.
The Longhorns return to action Saturday when they travel to sixth-ranked Kansas for a crucial conference showdown. Texas beat the Jayhawks in four sets when the two teams squared off for the first time this season Sept. 24.
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