The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
5-0
Arizona
6-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARIZONA | 19 | 21 | 20 | 0 |
| Texas | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
No. 2 Volleyball sweeps No. 21 Arizona in home opener, 3-0
09.12.2014 | Volleyball
Texas defense records 10 blocks, led by six from Molly McCage
AUSTIN, Texas --- The second-ranked Texas Volleyball squad opened the first home match of the season by sweeping No. 21 Arizona (25-19, 25-21, 25-20) Friday night in the first match of the 26 West Longhorn Classic.
The Longhorns, who only trailed twice in the entire match, recorded 10 blocks and 36 kills, while holding Arizona to a .197 hitting percentage.
Two-time All-American senior Haley Eckerman and senior Khat Bell led the team with eight kills each, while Eckerman notched a season-high four service aces. Junior All-American Molly McCage led the defense with six blocks.
Sophomore Nicole Dalton garnered her second-consecutive double-double with 11 assists and 10 digs.
In the opening set, Texas started out strong and never trailed the rest of the way. Arizona remained close until Texas called a timeout with a 15-13 lead. From there, the Horns went on a 3-0 run with two kills from McCage. Texas ended with three unanswered points for the 25-19 win. The Longhorns finished with a .429 hitting percentage paced by four kills apiece by sophomore Pilar Victoria and McCage, who also had one solo block and three block assists.
Texas opened the second frame with a 6-2 lead, but Arizona rallied back with a 6-0 run. Tied at nine, the Longhorns scored three unanswered points and went on a 6-2 run, led by two kills from sophomore All-American Chiaka Ogbogu, to build a 20-14 lead. The Wildcats closed the gap to 24-21, before a service error by Arizona's Ronni Lewis would close out the second set.
For the third-consecutive set, Texas began with a 6-2 lead. After forcing Arizona to call a timeout after trailing 9-4, the Wildcats tied it up at 11. After back-and-forth play, a service ace and four kills by three different players, Texas closed out the third set with a 7-2 run, winning 25-20. Although there were three ties, Texas never trailed. Eckerman paced the Horns with four kills, while freshman Cat McCoy recorded 12 digs.
Madi Kingdon led the Wildcats with 21 kills.
Texas continues action at the 26 West Longhorn Classic against UCF on Saturday, Sept. 13. The match is set to start at noon.
Postmatch Comments
Head Coach Jerritt Elliott
On the first home game: I thought it was good to be home. I thought we had a nice crowd tonight. Obviously playing at home, somtimes there are some pregame jitters, but I thought we did a really nice job, in terms of things we were focused on, and those were the main things--our routines. I didn't think we were perfect in a lot of areas, there are a lot of areas that we need to clean up, but I think we just stayed the course. We didn't get rattled and that's a really good sign for me in regards to how the team performed tonight.
On the errors and the mentality he pushed to fight through the errors: Yeah, I just didn't feel like they got rattled. I did tell my staff after the second games that we had a couple of opportunities to really blow this thing wide open. We were up four or five points, then had a pretty easy dig and misplaced it. But overall, first time at home and getting used to this environment, it's going to happen. But we are still early in the season. I think there are things that we need to clean up and be better at some of our touches. Defensively, I think that would have helped us.
On the win against ranked No. 21 Arizona at home: I think Arizona is a good team. Kingdon is obviously a very special player and I thought they played really well. I thought they passed the ball well. They kept it tight for a couple of games. It's a good win for our team right now. It's something to build on. Hopefully we can clean some things up against a very good Central Florida team tomorrow. We did win against a good team.
Texas MB Molly McCage
On overall play: I think that I've built trust with our setters. We've been able to do that, especially with our defense. Our defense has improved. It's nice to have that relationship with our setters.
On playing at home: I love being home. Honestly, we have a great crowd. I feel like I've played a ton of games in here, so I'm pretty used to it. It's super nice to be home with our own fans and have everyone in the game.
Texas OH Haley Eckerman
On serving game: I think the biggest thing is routines, which is something coach (Elliott) talks about all the time and we've been working on serving routines a lot in practice. We had missed a couple in the first game, so I was just focused on just getting it in. Not trying to place it anywhere and making sure it was over and aggressive.
On beating two-ranked opponents in a row: I think the best thing for us is that it challenges us. We get challenged against each other a lot in practice and (it was nice to be) able to just play against a team and not each other. It shows our weaknesses and what we need to work on. I think it helps us get through the season game-by-game.
