The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Missouri
No. 5 Volleyball falls to No. 22 Missouri
09.23.2006 | Volleyball
COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Despite senior outside hitter Dariam Acevedo's fourth kill/dig double-double of the season the No. 5 Texas Volleyball team fell 3-0 (30-23, 30-23, 30-19) to No. 22 Missouri, Saturday night at the Hearnes Center. The loss marked the first loss for Texas (8-3, 3-1 Big 12) in Big 12 Conference play and the seventh straight time the Longhorns have lost in Columbia.
Missouri (9-4, 3-1 Big 12) took a 4-0 lead to start game one behind a pair of Jessica Vander Kooi kills, but the lead would be short-lived as Texas quickly answered with a 5-0 run of its own to take a 6-5 advantage. Freshman outside hitter Destinee Hooker anchored the run with one kill and a block assist with sophomore middle blocker Lauren Paolini. A series of kills by Jennifer Todd, Acevedo and Paolini coupled with a pair of Mizzou errors stretched the Texas lead to 14-9, but MU rallied with a 5-0 run of its own to knot the game at 14-14.
The Longhorns quickly regained the advantage, but a 6-0 Tigers run, highlighted by two Lei Wang service aces pushed the Mizzou lead to 27-20. Two kills by Na Yang down the stretch closed out the game and handed MU a 30-23 game one victory.
Early in game two the Horns and Tigers traded points until Mizzou broke a 13-13 tie with a 6-0 run that gave the Tigers a 19-13 advantage. Three Nicole Wilson kills and a pair of Yang points headlined the Tigers game-changing run.
Texas posted several minor rallies late in the game, but failed to put together any runs of more than two points. Missouri closed out the second stanza with a 3-0 run that included a pair of Wilson block assists (with Julianna Klein and Wang) that closed out the game 30-23. Acevedo paced UT in the game, recording five of her team-high 11 kills.
In the third and final game, Mizzou again claimed an early lead, using a 4-0 run headlined by a pair of Vander Kooi aces to claim an early 5-2 advantage. Two service aces from junior setter Michelle Moriarty brought Texas back and capped a Longhorns rally that narrowed the Tigers edge to two, at 11-9.
The Horns kept the score close until a 6-0 Tigers run at the 19-15 mark handed MU a 24-15 advantage. Two more Vander Kooi kills and a pair of UT miscues during the rally pushed Texas to the brink. At the end of the third stanza, Wilson again closed the door on the Longhorns, hammering out two of her 11 kills and ending the final game, 30-19. Acevedo paced a Longhorns squad that hit a season-low .154 on the night, with a team best 11 kills and 10 digs. Freshmen Ashley Engle and Hooker each added eight kills, while Moriarty posted 37 assists and six digs in the loss.
Texas returns to action Wednesday, Sept. 27 when it travels to Norman, Okla. to take on the Oklahoma Sooners. The match is slated for a 7 p.m. start.
