The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Illinois
No. 2 Volleyball falls to No. 5 Illinois, 3-0
09.03.2010 | Volleyball
Sept. 3, 2010
Box Score | | Illinois post-match interviews
AUSTIN, Texas -- The No. 2 Texas Volleyball team had its 25-match home winning streak erased Friday night as it fell to No. 5 Illinois, 3-0 in its second match of the Time Warner Cable Texas Invitational. The 25-23, 25-18, 25-18 loss marked the first time Texas had been swept since losing to USC in the 2007 regional finals and the first time it had been swept at home since falling to Notre Dame on Sept. 6, 2003. The Longhorns loss dropped UT to 4-1 on the season and improved the Illini to 4-0 overall.
The tough-serving Illini kept the Horns out of system for most of the night and out-played UT at the net, earning 61.5 of their 75 total points. Senior All-America outside hitter Juliann Faucette anchored the Horns' offense with 10 kills and added five digs, while junior outside hitter Amber Roberson added eight kills and six digs. Texas' most productive hitter in the loss was junior middle blocker Rachael Adams who connected for six kills on nine error-free swings.
In the first, Illinois used a 4-0 lead to claim the lead on a kill Johannah Bangert and it did not slow down. A 5-1 run capped by a Colleen Ward kill pushed the lead to 20-16, but Texas did not quit as it battled back to tie the set at 23 on a kill by Roberson. Illini All-America outside hitter Laura DeBruler registered a kill to force set point and a triple block sealed the set, 25-23 for Ilinois.
Texas was slow out of the gate in the second set, trailing for the duration and falling behind 6-2 in the early going. Ward maintained the margin at the 14-10 mark with a kill and extended the lead to 21-13 with a strong service run. DeBruler was solid down the stretch with a pair of kills that helped Illinois win the frame, 25-18.
The Horns played inspired volleyball to start the third set, holding the lead at the 11-10 mark courtesy of two kills apiece from Faucette and Adams. The Illini sided-out on a kill by Michelle Bartsch to tie the score at 11 before Ward took control of the match with a seven-point service run that put Illinois ahead, 18-11. Faucette was strong late in the frame, but it was not enough as DeBruler and Ward lifted Illinois to a 25-18 victory.
Texas returns to action at the Time Warner Cable Texas Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 4 when it hosts No. 23 Long Beach State. First serve is set for 6:30 p.m. Central.
POST-MATCH NOTES
- Texas' loss to Illinois dropped the Longhorns all-time record against the Illini to 5-6.
- The Longhorns' loss snapped Texas' home winning streak of 25 matches, which dated back to Nov. 1, 2008.
- The loss marked the first time, Texas had been swept since it was swept by USC at the NCAA Gainesville Regional on Dec. 9, 2007. It was the first time Texas had been swept at home since falling to Notre Dame, 3-0 on Sept. 6, 2003.
- Texas' loss kept the Horns' all-time win total at 999.
POST-MATCH QUOTES
Head coach Jerritt Elliott
Opening statement: I give credit to coach (Kevin) Hambly and Illinois. They have a very nice team. They were well-prepared and played at a very high level tonight, early in the season and they really put us on our heels with the serving on the other side of the net. We could just never find our rhythm. They played very, very well. They just have a very nice team that is better than the ranking and we have a very good team, too. We have been working on our first touches, but tonight, it was our Achilles heel. We have some passers who can control the ball, and we will improve and get better. It is the reason we scheduled this match really early on-- to learn about ourselves and to improve in areas where we have glaring weaknesses. We learned a lot about ourselves tonight, so we can take a positive from that. That is what we are going to focus on when next week comes.
On how to bounce back from tonight and be ready to play Long Beach State: Preparation. It is a different team. We just have to execute better. We did not execute well tonight. This team has been through a lot and has a lot of experience. I would imagine that they will be ready to play tomorrow, be focused and have a lot of respect for Long Beach State.
Senior outside hitter Juliann Faucette
On Illinois: They are a great team. They came out ready to play. I do not think that we responded very well, but it is a good, defining moment for us. Teams can go one way or the other when they have a loss, so our team is going to choose to respond to that and move forward.
On tonight's loss: We play our own players in the gym, and we are pretty good, but when you are actually out there on the court and in front of a crowd, you have to actually apply the things that you learn in practice and the things that we are doing. I think that it is good. It is the beginning of the season. It is definitely going to be motivating for us throughout. Hopefully, we can just respond and move forward.
Senior middle blocker Jennifer Doris
On how the team will respond after tonight's loss: A loss always fires you up. You just have to take it. We just have to respond. We are good at controlling the ball, and as long as we control the ball on our side of the net, we will be fine. We just cannot let other teams put the pressure on us, which they did tonight.
