The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Texas Tech
Doris, Faucette lead No. 3 Volleyball past Texas Tech, 3-0
10.22.2008 | Volleyball
Oct. 22, 2008
LUBBOCK, Texas -- A career-best 12-kill effort by sophomore middle blocker Jennifer Doris helped the No. 3 Texas Volleyball team knock off Texas Tech, 3-0, Wednesday night at United Spirit Arena. The 25-15, 25-19, 25-16 victory extended Texas' season-best winning streak to nine matches and improved UT to 15-2 on the year and 9-1 in the Big 12, while Texas Tech fell to 5-17 and 0-11 in league play.
After trailing early in the first set, Texas took its first lead at the 5-4 mark and widened its lead to five (14-9) when Doris paced a 6-1 UT run with two kills and a block assist. A 5-1 run highlighted by a pair of kills from senior All-America middle blocker Lauren Paolini pushed the advantage to 20-12. The Horns' closed out the frame on a 4-1 run capped by a Tech service error that moved the final tally to, 25-15.
Junior All-America outside hitter Destinee Hooker headlined the Horns' attack in the second set, hammering out five kills and registering three service aces. A Hooker kill and three straight aces helped push the early UT lead to 7-1. The San Antonio, Texas, native added three more kills as part of a 6-1 run that improved the Texas edge to 18-10. The Red Raiders narrowed the gap to 23-19, but a kill and a block assist by Hooker shut the door, 25-19.
In the third stanza, the Horns came out of the gates red-hot with Doris connecting for two kills and combining on a block with junior All-America opposite hitter Ashley Engle on a block to help UT grab a 5-1 edge. Tech battled back to narrow the lead to three (13-10), but the Horns responded with a 9-2 run paced by a pair of kills from sophomore All-America outside hitter Juliann Faucette to take a 22-12 lead. Faucette eventually closed out the frame, 25-16 with her 12th kill of the set.
Texas returns to action Friday, Oct. 24 when it plays host to BYU in non-conference action. First serve is set for 6:30 p.m.
POST-MATCH NOTES
- Texas' victory improved the Horns' all-time record against Texas Tech to 65-9-2. The Longhorns have won their last 15 meetings with the Red Raiders.
- The win over Texas Tech extended UT's season-best winning streak to nine matches.
- Jennifer Doris 12-kill performance against the Red Raiders set a new career-high for the sophomore middle blocker. Her .688 hitting percentage also set a new career mark.
- Amber Roberson tallied five kills against Texas Tech, a career-best total.
TEXAS QUOTES
HEAD COACH Jerritt Elliott
General statement: I think we are getting better and better. I think our chemistry is getting better and we are playing more relaxed. The team is having more fun enjoying the success of their teammates and it showed out there tonight. We played relaxed, had fun and it was nice to get a lot of players in there.
On the play of Amber Roberson and Jennifer Doris: They did some good things. We are trying to get more balanced in our offense with Jen Doris and we are continuing to make that a priority. Amber is continuing to improve more and more and that gives us confidence to go to her off the bench. She is developing as a young player, which is nice to have.
On his team's progress at the Big 12 halfway mark: We have to continue to play well in our upcoming matches. We have some really tough road trips and we have to defend our home court. We are going to take it one match at a time like we have been because we are only six weeks away from the NCAA Tournament. We have put ourselves in a position to contend for the Big 12 title and that is where we want to be.
On the upcoming non-conference match with BYU this Friday: We have some film on them from awhile back, but we will make the necessary adjustments on the fly. Playing a non-conference match on short notice enables us to get more acclimated to an NCAA Tournament type format.
