The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Kansas State
Faucette powers No. 10 Volleyball to sweep of Kansas State
10.22.2010 | Volleyball
Oct. 22, 2010
Final Stats | Post-match interviews 
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AUSTIN, Texas -- The No. 10 Texas Volleyball team used a match-high 14-kill performance by senior All-America outside hitter Juliann Faucette to sweep Kansas State and win its sixth-straight match, Friday night at Gregory Gymnasium. The 25-19, 25-23, 25-19 victory improved the Longhorns to 14-5 on the year and 9-2 in Big 12 play, while the Wildcats fell to 9-13 overall and 3-8 in league action.
Faucette hit at a .480 clip in the victory and recorded eight digs and three blocks. Junior outside hitter Amber Roberson bolstered the UT attack with 11 kills and seven digs, while junior middle blocker Rachael Adams connected for nine kills and senior middle blocker Jennifer Doris added seven.
In the first set, Kansas State challenged the Longhorns early on and played UT to a tie at the 15 all mark. Texas forged ahead 20-17 on a kill by Faucette and went on a 5-1 run fueled by two more Faucette kills to win the frame, 25-19.
Texas fell behind early in a second stanza that saw 15 tie scores and six lead changes. The Wildcats held the Horns in check until the 21 all mark when K-State took advantage of a kill and a service ace by Kaitlynn Pelger on consecutive points to forge ahead 23-21. A double-block by Doris and sophomore opposite hitter Sha'Dare McNeal closed the gap to one and a kill by Doris evened the tally at 23. Freshman libero Sarah Palmer forced set point with a service ace and a Kansas State attack error closed out the set, 25-23.
The Wildcats played the Horns tight to start the third set before two-straight kills by Faucette put the Horns in front 10-7. Another kill by Faucette widened the margin to 15-11 and she chipped in another kill during a 3-0 run that extended the UT lead to 20-15. Kansas State shrank the lead to two late, but Texas closed out the frame on a 5-1 run headlined by two kills from Faucette and capped by a kill from Roberson that ended the set, 25-19.
Texas returns to action on Wednesday, Oct. 27 when it plays host to No. 3 Nebraska at Gregory Gymnasium. First serve is set for 8 p.m. Central on ESPNU.
POST-MATCH NOTES
- Texas' win over Kansas State improved its all-time record against the Wildcats to 25-7 and 13-3 in Austin.
- The Horns' victory extended its season-best winning streak to six matches and improved its Big 12 home winning streak to 20 matches.
- Texas out-hit Kansas State .330-to-.223 in the win and out-blocked the Wildcats 7.0-to-1.0.
POST-MATCH QUOTES
Head coach Jerritt Elliott
General statement: Overall it was a good performance for us against a stubborn Kansas State team. I thought we really battled in the crunch in game two, and we got some great production out of some of our players. Juliann (Faucette) had a big breakout night before we play Nebraska which is important for her confidence, for our team's confidence and our overall play. It's always tough to win in this conference, so you appreciate getting the win 3-0. I'm pleased for our team.
On Jennifer Doris' performance: Jen has been doing a great job for us. She has really stepped up here in her senior year. We've been getting her the ball more, and she has been a lot more accountable. It has really allowed us to open up our offense. She has been working hard every single day in practice and off-the-court as well. So I'm very happy for her, it has helped this team out. She's finishing her career strong.
