Horns Enjoy Winning Weekend Across the Board

Longhorns fans will be hard pressed to recall a better overall weekend than the one recently past. Those in charge of lighting the Tower orange after a win had their choice.

On Friday, the soccer team got its first NCAA Tournament win since 2008, blanking Rice 3-0 at Mike A. Myers Stadium.

Shortly after the soccer players sang “Eyes” with smiles, the men’s basketball team got down to business. Freshman sensation Myles Turner made an electric debut in a sea of bucket hats and the Longhorns got the first of two convincing weekend wins, 85-50 over North Dakota State.

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Saturday, the women’s basketball team took the floor and lived up to its high preseason ranking, crushing UTSA 68-48. The volleyball team avenged its only loss, winning a thrilling 5-set showdown in Norman over Oklahoma. Later that night, football team made it three wins in a row – beating up downtrodden Oklahoma State 28-7 in Stillwater to become bowl eligible in Charlie Strong’s first season.

Back in the Erwin Center Sunday night, Rick Barnes’ Longhorns made it two in a row by jumping all over Alcorn State, leading 19-1 on the way to an 85-53 win.

To kick the winning weekend off right, the soccer team used its defense to keep pressure off of keeper Abby Smith in her record-tying ninth shutout of the season. Smith made just a single save on the night as the Owls took only eight shots on the night. Sharis Lachapelle’s first half goal gave the Longhorns the lead and Olivia Brook’s goal early in the second half provided a cushion. Julia Dyche put the finishing touches on the win with a late goal. Texas plays 12^th ranked Notre Dame Friday afternoon as part of a double-header in College Station. Texas A&M plays Arizona. The winners meet Sunday.

For Karen Aston’s ninth-ranked women’s basketball team, Saturday’s opener gave Kelsey Lang a chance to shine in the absence of starting center Imani McGee-Stafford, wrote Mark Rosner for the Associated Press.

Lang scored 12 first half points as part of a balanced attack as Texas raced out to a 31-15 lead. Returning starter Empress Davenport scored 10 and three other Longhorns had at least eight points in the win.

Four weekends earlier, coach Jerritt Elliott’s volleyball team was cruising along, 15-0 on the season and ranked second in the nation. Oklahoma took over Gregory Gym and swept away the Longhorns’ winning streak. As Nick Castillo wrote in The Daily Texan, the Longhorns dug deep to find the grit necessary to come from a 2-1 deficit to win, claiming the conference title in the process.

Khat Bell led the way with 16 kills. Haley Eckerman added 15. Molly McCage sparked the defense, taking part in 11 blocks. Cat McCoy had 18 digs and Amy Neal added 11.

For details on the football team’s win over Oklahoma State, click here.

For details on the men’s basketball team’s opening weekend, click here.

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