The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
UCLA
No. 6 Volleyball downs No. 9 UCLA, 3-1 to advance to the NCAA Austin Regional
12.04.2010 | Volleyball
Dec. 4, 2010
Box Score | | Post-match interviews
AUSTIN, Texas -- The sixth-ranked Texas Volleyball team used a 17-kill performance by senior All-America outside hitter Juliann Faucette and freshman setter Hannah Allison returned from injury to steady the lineup as UT downed No. 9 UCLA, 3-1 in the NCAA Second Round. The victory improved the Horns winning streak to 17 matches and advanced the Longhorns to their fifth-straight NCAA Regional.
The Longhorns 25-23, 20-25, 25-18, 25-24 win improved Texas to 25-5 on the year, while UCLA fell to 22-9. Texas moves on to the NCAA Austin Regional where it will host eighth-seeded Illinois on Friday, Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. Central.
Faucette headlined the Texas attack with 17 kills on .256 hitting and added six digs and a pair of solo blocks. Junior middle blocker Rachael Adams added 12 kills and hit .611 in the win, while junior outside hitter Amber Roberson connected for 10 kills and collected 11 digs. Allison returned to the lineup in the third set with the Horns trailing 4-0 and rallied UT to victory with 24 assists and eight digs.
In the first, Texas fell behind in the early going, but took advantage of three UCLA errors that paced a 4-1 and gave UT a 9-7 edge. The Horns widened the margin to 17-14 when a service ace by sophomore opposite hitter Sha'Dare McNeal capped a 3-0 rally. The Bruins fought back to knot the game at 21 on a kill by Bojana Todorovic before kills by Adams and Faucette and two UCLA miscues closed the set, 25-23.
The Longhorns allowed a 5-1 Bruins run to start the second, allowing them to grab a 7-4 lead. UCLA widened the lead 12-8 on two kills by Rachael Kidder, but Texas didn't quit, posting a 4-1 rally to narrow the margin to one at the 14-13 mark. A 5-1 Bruins' rally pushed the lead to 21-16 before UCLA went on to close out the set 25-20.
Texas dug itself a large 6-1 hole to begin the third frame and Allison was inserted into the game with UT trailing 4-0. Following a Kidder kill at the 6-1 mark, the Horns mounted a 10-1 rally headlined by two kills and two aces by Roberson that put UT in front 11-7. UCLA briefly narrowed the lead to one prior to Texas posting a 9-2 run capped by a McNeal/Adams double-block that ballooned the lead to 20-12. McNeal bolstered the Horns' attack down the stretch and Faucette connected for two-straight kills to close the set and lift UT to a 25-18 win.
In the fourth and decisive set, Texas took control early with Faucette keying a 3-0 run that put UT ahead, 7-4. UCLA tied the set at 11 before Faucette fueled a 4-0 run with a solo block and a kill that pushed the tally to 15-11. The Longhorns held a 19-15 lead later in the stanza before UCLA's Sara Sage paced a 6-1 rally that put the Bruins on top, 21-20. Trailing 24-23, Texas answered the bell with two-straight points. A kill by Dicey McGraw evened the set at 24 before Adams and Faucette connected on back-to-back kills to end the frame, 26-24.
POST-MATCH NOTES
Texas
-Texas is making its 27th NCAA Tournament appearance
-The Horns are the No. 9 seed in the 2010 NCAA Tournament
-Texas is now 8-17 all time against UCLA, including 3-2 in the postseason.
-Texas advances to its fifth-straight NCAA Regional and 23rd in the program's history.
-Texas improves its winning streak to 17 matches.
-Texas improves its 2010 season record to 25-5 and notches its fourth-straight season with at least 25 wins.
-Junior middle blocker Rachael Adams' .611 hitting performance (12 kills) against UCLA improved her career postseason attack mark to .528, the top career postseason hitter in UT history.
-Senior outside hitter Juliann Faucette's 17-kill performance moves her to Texas's No. 3 on UT's postseason career kills list (191).
UCLA
-UCLA is making its 29th NCAA Tournament appearance.
-UCLA is now 74-25 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
-UCLA finished the season 22-9.
-This was UCLA's first loss of the season when hitting over .250 (14-1).
-Texas' .325 was the third-highest hitting percentage by an opponent this season.
-Senior outside hitter Dicey McGraw recorded her ninth-straight double-figure kills match and her 22nd in the last 23 contests.
POST-MATCH QUOTES
Head coach Jerritt Elliott
General statement: First of all, I want to congratulate UCLA on a great season. Mike [Sealy] did a great job in getting those girls to believe. They played exceptionally well. We knew that last night wasn't their best match, and I was proud that my team was prepared for a team that was a challenge. Overall, tonight, I was extremely proud of my team. I thought at the end of game two and at the start of game three that we were in trouble. Emotionally, we weren't ready to push back. Hannah [Allison] came in and did a good job of sparking us, and got us back to having energy again, like we did in game one. We got some blocking actions that we had desired. Overall, in a crunch again, we were really good and played as a team. This group is a special group. They play hard for one another, and I'm proud that they have an opportunity to play again.
On the decision to insert Hannah Allison: It was a gutsy one. Hannah had not had a lot of repetitions. She's been out almost two months, and even in the warm-ups, her rhythm wasn't that good. Hannah has shown me that she's a gamer, and she's always been a gamer. She's got the personality. She's extremely competitive. I just felt like we got flat and I felt like she could give us a spark. We had confidence in her, and she did a fantastic job.
On the team's blocking improving late in the match: We were struggling early. We finally got some match-ups that we wanted. It's hard to win when you're only putting up a half block a game against a top 10 opponent like UCLA.
On continuing the season: This group has been through adversity, and they've built trust with one another. They really care about winning and what's important for Texas Volleyball. They're selfless, and they play really hard for one another.
Senior outside hitter Juliann Faucette
On what she felt helped get the team excited: I think our passers really buckled down at that point. Being down 0-5, and 6-1, we have to step it up at that point knowing that we're tied up 1-1 in the match. They're a good team. What Hannah [Allison] said is true -- the dynamic of the game, it kind of changed. We stepped up passing-wise, we started picking better attacking selections. Hannah's tempos were just on.
On if she ever doubted the team would make it to the NCAA Regional: No, I think that's why our team has done so well. No matter what our circumstances have been throughout the season, we just kept believing. We've had confidence and obviously, our 17-match winning streak is building confidence. I think through the adversity, we've really just come together as a team. The chemistry is great and we just believe in each other.
Junior middle blocker Rachael Adams
On how she felt the blockers did tonight: Blockingwise, I know, personally, I was setting up late. They have fast arms, and they have great angles. Finally, in game four, we started getting up over and early and getting some blocks.
On how the team handled UCLA's defense: We knew we had to buckle down defensively to match their defense mentality. They are like Iowa State and a lot of teams in our conference, but they're small players and they are known for defense. We knew we had to buckle down.
Freshman setter Hannah Allison
On how she got the team back on track: I think Michelle Kocher was doing a really good job. We've been helping each other the whole time. Maybe, it was just a matter of momentum. It was a short amount of time. That was a combination of our hitters really stepping up and realizing that it was time.
On dealing with nerves: Coach Elliott did a really good job of letting me stay in good rhythm with the starters even though I was out. It was a combination of that and I had played a few points in the UTSA match just to get the jitters out. Coming in and feeling comfortable with my teammates, no matter if it's me or Michelle [Kocher], we just come in comfortable because we've played with everyone for a really long time this season.
UCLA Post-match quotes
Head coach Mike Sealy
General statement: Our plan almost worked. We lulled the whole gym to sleep last night. We thought we'd be able to catch Texas asleep tonight and pounce like an ambushed predator. We knew tonight was going to be a match. It was a faceoff between power and ball control. I think we are a system team. We can play as well as top teams in the country. I think we showed that tonight. We had chances but the pressure was on us. We've had some heartbreaking matches, because of which we've had to be strong. Texas is big and physical. That is ultimately what wore us out.
On the changes made in Texas' lineup: In general, Texas spun their dial with their set up. Hannah Allison came out and set up a great game. But in sets one and two, we knew how to set our lineup to match Texas'. Then, in set three, he rotated three spots. From that point we were blocking different hitters than we anticipated. This caused an unusual matchup for us. After that switch, the dynamic of the game shifted. The new matchup was beneficial for them.
On what Texas should focus on for their success: They are very physical. That will help them greatly. I think at this point in the season you need to exploit other teams' weaknesses and hide your own. I don't mean it in a negative way. I think Texas is very physical, but they are going to need to focus on their ball control if they are going to continue to win. As soon as they got back on track tonight it was lights out.
Senior outside hitter Dicey McGraw
On the outcome of the match: We definitely let up a little bit. The crowd and the noise got to us some. But I think we played well overall.
On the future of the team: Next year will be awesome. The team will be just as strong next year. We have so many freshmen that are going to help the team. I'm already looking forward to watching.
Sophomore opposite hitter Rachel Kidder
On Texas' setter change: I don't think the setter change is what threw us off. Both setters were pretty good. I think the main difference in the win was the blocking game tonight.
