The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Texas State
No. 1 Volleyball preview: NCAA Championships First & Second Rounds [Dec. 5-6, 2013]
12.03.2013 | Volleyball
The Longhorns are a perfect 26-0 in first round matches and 54-9 in all-time in NCAA matches played in Austin.
No. 1 TEXAS (23-2, 16-0 Big 12)
NCAA Championships First & Second Rounds
Gregory Gymnasium (4,000) | Austin, Texas
Texas' Streak: The Longhorns have won 19-consecutive matches dating back to Sept. 14.
Live Audio: TexasSports.com's Tyler Denning will handle play-by-play via a paid subscription. The audio stream is also available via the Longhorn Network app (free).
?Live Stats: TexasSports.com
Match #26: Texas State (24-12, 11-7 Sun Belt) vs. No. 1 Texas (23-2, 16-0 Big 12)
All-time Series vs. Bobcats: Longhorns lead, 39-9 (H: 14-2, A: 18-4, N: 7-3)
Last Meeting & Texas Win: Texas, 3-0 (Dec. 2, 2011; Austin, Texas; NCAA First Round)
Last Opponent Win: Texas State, 3-2 (Sept. 5, 2000; San Marcos, Texas)
Match #27: winner of UTSA (24-7, 13-1 C-USA) vs. Texas A&M (18-11, 10-8 Southeastern)
All-time Series vs. Roadrunners: Longhorns lead, 7-0 (H: 5-0, N: 2-0)
All-time Series vs. Aggies: Longhorns lead, 71-23 (H: 36-5, A: 23-13, N: 12-5)
Quick Hits
• Texas is making its 30th NCAA Tournament appearance ... the Longhorns are a perfect 26-0 in first round matches and 54-9 in all-time in NCAA matches played in Austin ... Texas sports a 71-27 (.724) mark in NCAA Championships matches ... this is the 10th straight year that the Longhorns have hosted the NCAA Tournament ... in total, Texas has hosted an NCAA first round match 24 times in program history.
• Junior outside hitter Haley Eckerman and freshman middle blocker Chiaka Ogbogu headlined Texas' quintet of Big 12 Conference postseason honorees ... Eckerman was tabbed Big 12 Player of the Year for the second straight season, while Ogbogu took home Freshman of the Year accolades ... Eckerman, Ogbogu, Khat Bell, Molly McCage and Bailey Webster earned All-Big 12 First Team honors.
• Junior All-American Haley Eckerman claimed her second straight Big 12 Player of the Year honor to become the fourth player in league history to accomplish the feat ... she was also named the 2011 Big 12 Freshman of the Year and is one of five players ever to claim both honors ... Texas' seventh Player of the Year led the Big 12 in in kills (4.55) and points (5.24) while ranking second in service aces (0.42) and 10th in hitting percentage (.294) in conference-only competition this season ... she led the Longhorns to a perfect 16-0 league record and a third straight Big 12 championship with six 20-plus kill performances and double-digit kills in all but four matches on the season ... in overall contests, she also led the league in kills and points ... Eckerman has also claimed three Offensive Player of the Week honors this season for a career total of 15 overall weekly league accolades - tied for second most in conference history.
• A dual threat for the Longhorns, Chiaka Ogbogu ranked second in the league in hitting percentage in Big 12-only matches (.386) and overall matches (.409), while ranking ninth (1.08) and eighth in blocks (1.09), respectively ... the freshman from Coppell, Texas, claimed three Big 12 Rookie of the Week awards this season ... she is averaging 1.77 kills per set and has posted a hitting percentage of .500 or better in 12 matches in which she has recorded at least five kills ... the third Longhorn to earn Freshman of the Year honors, Ogbogu also has six matches with five or more blocks ... she was the only freshman on this year's All-Big 12 First Team and was unanimously selected as an All-Freshman honoree.
• During the Longhorns' 19-match win streak, the team is hitting .314 while holding opponents to a .151 hitting percentage ... Haley Eckerman is averaging 4.42 kills per set during the streak, while Hannah Allison has an 8.33 assists per set average ... Khat Bell and Molly McCage are averaging 1.36 and 1.34 blocks per set, respectively, and Sarah Palmer is registering 3.81 digs per set ... the Longhorns have averaged 2.96 blocks per set during the streak to their opponents' 1.39.
• Junior All-American Haley Eckerman has now recorded consecutive double-figure kills in Texas' last eight matches and is averaging 5.54 kills per set during the stretch ... during that same eight match stretch, she has reached 20+ kills on four occasions ... Eckerman matched her career mark in kills (27), tallied a season-high 28.5 points and set a personal best in hitting percentage (.634) against West Virginia on Nov. 21.
