The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
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Kansas
Faucette explodes for 22 kills and lifts Volleyball past Kansas, 3-0
10.13.2007 | Volleyball
AUSTIN, Texas -- The seventh-ranked Texas Volleyball team used a 22-kill outing by freshman outside hitter Juliann Faucette to down Kansas, Saturday night in Big 12 Conference action. The Longhorns 30-14, 30-22, 30-21 victory was the Longhorns' eighth straight win and moved Texas to 12-3, 8-1 Big 12 on the year, while the Jayhawks dropped to 10-9 and 3-6 in league play.
Faucette hit .432 on the night and notched 10 digs to pace the Texas attack and sophomore opposite hitter Ashley Engle posted her second kill/dig double-double of the season with 11 kills and 13 digs. Senior outside hitter Jen Christian joined them in double figures, posting a season-high 10 kills against the Jayhawks.
The Longhorns grabbed control of the match in the early going, leaping out to a 7-1 lead in the first game, after Faucette connected for a pair of kills. Texas widened the margin to 18-6 behind a 6-0 run and two Faucette kills as UT cruised to a 30-14 game-one win.
Texas clinched a quick 5-2 edge in game two on kills by Faucette and Christian, and the Horns rolled easily through the second stanza. Engle paced a 6-0 Texas run that widened the margin to 14-7 and the Horns closed out the game, 30-22 on a Christian kill and a KU error.
In the final stanza, the Longhorns fell behind the Jayhawks, 5-6, but an 8-0 run at the 7-9 mark pushed UT back in front, 15-9. Faucette paced the Texas run with three of her 10 game-three kills, while freshman middle blocker Jennifer Doris contributed a kill and a solo block. The Longhorns were in control from that point on, taking advantage of a 5-0 run fueled by junior middle blocker Lauren Paolini to move the tally to 25-17, closing out the frame, 30-22, on a KU hitting error.
Senior setter Michelle Moriarty steadied the Texas attack on the night with 51 assists and six digs, while senior libero Alyson Jennings highlighted the defense with a match-high 16 digs. Paolini collected nine kills and posted a .444 attack mark in the win and the Longhorns out-hit the Jayhawks .388-to.081.
Texas returns to action at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 17 when it travels to Norman, Okla. to take on Big 12 rival Oklahoma.
POSTGAME QUOTES
HEAD COACH Jerritt Elliott
Opening statements: I was very pleased with our effort. I thought we did some very good things tonight and I thought we were really focused on our defense tonight. As a result of our focus, we made some really good moves defensively. When someone else in the system had to step up, I thought we did a nice job. Obviously the production we got offensively was great; Juliann [Faucette] put up 10 kills in game three, which is great because we're trying to get her back in rhythm. It's the best she's swung in a couple of weeks so it's nice to see that. I felt Ashley [Engle] had a big game for us, no errors going into game three and she played really smooth. Our middles also did a tremendous job; we only had one blocking error for the night.
On eliminating errors: We really talked tonight about developing good habits and being consistent. This time is a scary part of the year in terms of really stepping it up, because there have been a lot of upsets this weekend. I think now is a time where teams get tired, and I feel like we can make a lot of improvement. I was pretty uptight yesterday in practice and was trying to be on the team a little more. We gave them Thursday off to try to get them mentally fresh as we go into this week, but it is just about achieving a certain standard in practice.
On the absence of Destinee Hooker: She's had a little bit of a nagging injury, so we felt tonight would be a good time to put Jen [Christian] in and give Destinee some extra rest this weekend so that she's fresh for this upcoming stretch and not risk anything.
On Jen Christian's performance tonight: It was solid--she's a senior who is very capable and has performed very well for us in the past. I think her role in the team has obviously changed over the years, but she's a vital part of the team, and for her to get in there and have a full match of repetition is important for her.
On preparing for the upcoming stretch of the season: I think we keep getting better. I'm seeing a lot of improvement--I think our passing is smoothing out, we're doing a better job from the service line, but it's also going to be a big challenge. As we have talked about, it's not about where we're ranked, but which team is the best team in the gym on that given night. Oklahoma is a tough place, they're going to be ready and they fight--they've won a lot of 5 game matches--so we're really going to focus on that. Then we have Missouri who's also been playing really well since they last played us, they've done some really good things. The next couple weeks are very important for this program in that we're going to be set up in terms of where we are in the conference and have a very good idea about that.
FRESHMAN OPPOSITE HITTER Juliann Faucette
On putting up big offensive numbers: The past couple of weeks I've been focusing more on my defense and passing, and I think that has really affected my offense because I was making defense a higher priority. I think tonight I was able to balance both of them, and I also learned that I needed to learn how to do so. Tonight was really key in getting my game more well-rounded.
On the upcoming stretch of games: I'm excited. I think it's a good challenge, especially on the road, because our opponents really good teams. These next few games are going to be really good for the team in terms of getting better.
SOPHOMORE OPPOSITE HITTER Ashley Engle
On her first double-double of the year: I think I've finally gotten back defensively to how I used to be able to play. Coming back after an injury is a long, frustrating process that takes a lot of patience. I also have to give credit to the middle and Michelle [Moriarty] who were putting up really good blocks tonight. For some reason, it seemed like I was in the right spot at the right time, but I think that comes with more court awareness and being out there more.
