The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Kansas State
No. 2 Volleyball sweeps past Kansas State
11.18.2009 | Volleyball
Nov. 18, 2009
Box Score | 
| Post-Match Video 
AUSTIN, Texas -- The No. 2 Texas Volleyball team registered 13 blocks and held Kansas State to a -.019 attack mark and senior All-America outside hitter Destinee Hooker notched 15 kills on 30 error-free swings as UT swept KSU. The 25-13, 25-10, 25-17 victory improved the Longhorns to 21-1 on the season and 16-1 in the Big 12, while the Wildcats dropped to 10-17 overall and 4-13 in league action.
In the first, Texas jumped out to an early 9-5 lead on a pair of kills, two blocks and a service ace by Hooker. The Wildcats narrowed the lead to 12-10, but four KSU attack errors allowed the Horns to push the margin back to 19-12. Back-to-back solo blocks by Hooker and junior middle blocker Jennifer Doris pushed the lead to 21-12 before two Doris kills closed out the frame 25-13.
The Horns worked quickly in the second, using two kills from Hooker and a pair of K-State miscues to jump out to an 8-1 lead. Two kills and an ace from Hooker widened the margin to 14-4 and a kill by freshman middle blocker Sha'Dare McNeal pushed the lead to 17-6. Four straight Wildcat errors moved the advantage to 22-8 before a kill by Hooker and a service ace by sophomore setter Michelle Kocher wrapped up the stanza, 25-10.
Kansas State kept the tally tight to start the third set, but a kill from Hooker and double-block by McNeal and freshman outside hitter Bailey Webster broke a seven-all tie and gave the Horns a 10-7 lead. A 5-0 run fueled by a pair of solo blocks from Hooker pushed the lead to 15-8 and a kill by the senior widened the margin to 20-12. Kansas State narrowed the edge to six down the stretch, but kills from McNeal and junior All-America outside hitter Juliann Faucette ended the set 25-17.
Hooker led all players with 15 kills on .500 hitting and added three service aces, seven digs, four solo blocks and four block assists. Faucette added eight kills, while Doris chipped in six kills and six total blocks.
Texas returns to action on Saturday, Nov. 21 when it travels to Baylor. A win against the Bears will clinch the Horns at least a share of the Big 12 Championship. First serve is set for 7 p.m. Central.
POST-MATCH NOTES
- Texas' win improved its all-time record against Kansas State to 23-7.
- The Longhorns' victory extended their home winning streak to 19 matches, dating back to Nov. 1, 2008.
- Destinee Hooker's four solo blocks and eight total blocks both equaled career highs for the senior outside hitter.
- Texas held Kansas State to a -.019 hitting percentage, the lowest mark that UT has held an opponent to all season.
POST-MATCH QUOTES
Head coach Jerritt Elliott
General statement: I can tell you it was our best performance at home this year. I thought we did a really good job in terms of every skill. I thought after the first 10 points of the match we really became more efficient. We didn't make a lot of errors and therefore our defensive team got a lot of transitions swings and made good decisions. With our ability, we were able to put a lot of pressure on to Kansas State.
On Texas' improving defense: It was great. It has been a focal point in practice. For Destinee to block that many balls is exceptional. We got a lot of good touches and did some really nice things. Overall, we're getting better swings and transitions.
On Texas' first match with Kansas State: Blocking was big for us tonight. When you're blocking four balls a game that is huge. Kansas State played very well last time we played them. They hit over .300 the first time, but the thing is they don't have a lot of plays. They are pretty stagnant in terms of what they run and we are able to serve short and get them in some particular situations and utilize our block. It was good because even though they run few plays, they are very efficient at what they do overall as a team.
Junior outside hitter Juliann Faucette
On the attitude of the team: I think it felt great. There was really good passing tempo and we all felt really connected. It kept Kansas State on their toes. I think we're starting to find it because we are going to the tournament soon.
Senior outside hitter Destinee Hooker
On how Juliann Faucette compliments her game: Juliann did a lot coming in as a freshman. You can just tell she has grown passing-wise, digging-wise and hitting-wise. And you can't ask for anything more. Next year, she's going to be in the spotlight again helping out the freshman and the underclassman.
