The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Texas Tech
No. 8 Volleyball upends Texas Tech
10.25.2006 | Volleyball
LUBBOCK, Texas -- After dropping game one, the eighth ranked Texas Volleyball team rattled off three straight victories to down Texas Tech, 3-1 (29-31, 30-21, 30-19, 30-21) Wednesday night at United Spirit Arena. Freshman outside hitter Ashley Engle anchored a Longhorns squad that hit just .195 for the night with her eighth consecutive kill/dig double-double.
Texas (14-5, 9-3 Big 12) stormed back from a game one loss with a 3-0 run to start game two and they quickly stretched their lead to 9-4, using a 5-0 run paced by two block assists and a kill by Lauren Paolini. Texas maintained a three-point edge throughout the game and pushed the lead to its widestt margin late in the game when two kills and a block assist by Engle put the Horns ahead, 28-20. Two straight kills by Jennifer Todd and Michelle Moriarty closed out the game, 30-21 and evened the match at one game apiece.
"We were up in game one, but we made too many errors to win at this level," head coach Jerritt Elliott said. "I was pleased with the way we responded to the adversity and it was a good to go on the road and come away with a victory."
The Longhorns used an early rally again in game three, piecing together a 9-0 run to sprint out to a 12-3 lead. Texas Tech (10-11, 3-9 Big 12) committed seven errors during the run, while freshman Destinee Hooker and senior Dariam Acevedo each added kills for UT. Texas held the lead for the duration of the game, never allowing the lead to slip below seven points. Hooker and Todd helped the Horns extend their lead to its largest margin at the 22-13 mark, as UT put together a 4-0 run that pushed the edge to 26-13. Three Red Raiders errors and a Todd kill down the stretch helped the Longhorns close out the match, 30-19.
In game four Texas Tech kept the score tight in the early going, using four Amy Charlebois' kills to claim a 10-8 advantage, but Texas responded to Tech's hot start with a 4-0 run, highlighted by a pair of Hooker kills that put UT ahead, 12-10.
It was all Texas from that point on, with the Horns stretching the lead to five on an Acevedo kill at the 17-12 mark and using a Tech attack error to move in front, 23-17. Todd registered a solo block and a kill late in the game to aid the Horns' cause, but it was two Red Raiders miscues that proved to be the decisive points, lifting Texas to a four-game come from behind victory.
Texas trailed early in game one and four straight UT errors gave the Red Raiders a decided edge at the 12-6 mark. The Horns battled back behind a pair of Engle kills to take a 17-16 advantage, but the lead would be short-lived, as Texas would not lead again until a Jen Christian kill put the Horns up, 24-23. Christian added another kill three points later to push the UT lead to 26-24, a lead Texas would hold until the 29-28 mark. An attack error by Hooker evened the score at 29-29 and two straight Red Raiders' points ended the game 31-29.
Engle headlined the Texas attack on the night with 16 kills and 12 digs, good for her eighth consecutive kill/dig double-double. Moriarty dished out 52 assists and collected 10 digs on the night, while Hooker posted 15 kills on .312 hitting. Freshman defensive specialist Heather Kisner topped the dig charts with a team-high 13-dig effort, while Todd recorded five of the Longhorns 15.5 total blocks.
No. 8 Texas returns to action Saturday, October, 28 when they take on the University of Colorado in Boulder. The match will be televised regionally on Fox Sports Rocky Mountain and is slated for a 7 p.m. Central start.
