The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Kansas State
No. 11 Volleyball rolls past Kansas State, 3-0
10.09.2010 | Volleyball
Oct. 9, 2010
MANHATTAN, Kan. -- Junior middle blocker Rachael Adams headlined the 11th-ranked Texas Volleyball team with 12 kills on .588 hitting to lift the Longhorns to a 3-0 sweep of Kansas State, Saturday night at Ahearn Fieldhouse. The 25-21, 25-16, 25-12 victory improve Texas to 10-5 on the year and 5-2 in Big 12 play, while Kansas State fell to 9-9 overall and 2-4 in league action.
Adams added a career-high 10 total blocks to her stellar effort, while junior outside hitter Amber Roberson bolstered the Horns' attack with 10 kills on .529 hitting and four digs. Senior middle blocker Jennifer Doris equaled her season-best with seven kills for the second-consecutive match and senior All-America outside hitter Juliann Faucette added eight kills and a team-high 12 digs.
The first set was a back-and-forth battle with Texas leading early, Kansas State forging ahead 8-5 and eventually pushing the margin to 12-8. The Longhorns battled back with a 3-0 run paced by an ace and a kill by freshman setter Hannah Allison to trim the lead to 12-11. The Wildcats rallied to widen the gap to five at the 20-15 mark and forced Texas to take its second timeout. Out of the timeout Texas went on a 10-1 run, including a 7-0 set-ending rally to win the set, 25-21. Faucette headlined the run with four kills and a block late in the frame.
Texas leapt out to quick 5-1 lead in the second behind a kill and a block by junior middle blocker Rachael Adams. The Longhorns added to their lead with a 6-1 run capped by a service ace from sophomore opposite hitter Sha'Dare McNeal that moved the UT advantage to 11-5. Three-straight points by K-State shrank the lead to 12-8 before a 5-1 rally punctuated by two-straight kills from Adams gave the Horns a 19-11 lead. Adams connected for two more kills down the stretch and Texas benefitted from three Kansas State miscues to win the set, 25-16.
The Longhorns took control out of the gate in the third stanza with Adams registering three blocks and a kill to give UT an 8-2 lead. Adams was unstoppable the rest of the way, keying an 8-1 Longhorns' run with two kills and two blocks and pushing the Texas advantage to 21-9. She added one more kill late in the set and junior outside hitter Amber Roberson connected for her 10th kill of the match to close the frame, 25-12.
Texas returns to action on Wednesday, Oct. 13 when it travels to Oklahoma. First serve is set for 6 p.m. Central on ESPNU.
POST-MATCH NOTES
- Texas' win moved the Longhorns' all-time record against the Wildcats to 24-7 and 11-4 in Manhattan. The Horns have won their last 14 meetings with K-State.
- Texas out-hit the Wildcats on the night, .393-to-.084 and out-blocked KSU, 10.5-to-2.0.
- Rachael Adams led the Horns in kills for the seventh time in the last eight matches.
- Rachael Adams recorded a career-best 10 total blocks and nine block assists in the victory.
POST-MATCH QUOTES
Head coach Jerritt Elliott
General statement: We did a really good job at the service line and our passing was very good. We got some great balance and production from all of our pin players and it was great to see Amber (Roberson) play at such a high clip tonight. We are getting better. We are getting more confident and more relaxed when we play.
On his lineup gaining chemistry: We have had so many different lineups and so many people out at different times. The team continues to learn how to work well together and that is important for us as we gain continuity. We haven't had it most of the year, so it is nice to see us start coming together and have the upperclassmen put their arms around Sarah Palmer and make her feel comfortable as our libero. Hannah (Allison) is doing a nice job of distributing the offense and our middles are being really productive.
On Hannah Allison balancing the offense with her set distribution: She showed a lot of guts tonight coming back from an injury that she had on Wednesday night and she did a great job of distributing the ball. Salima (Rockwell) has been working with her on focusing on balance and it helps that Jen Doris is playing the best she has ever played. That is a big component for us and our balance. I'm really proud of Jen for stepping up right now and playing at a high level.
