The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
29-2
Florida
25-7
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 25 | 22 | 19 | 25 | 15 | 2 |
| Texas | 22 | 25 | 25 | 20 | 17 | 3 |
No. 3 Volleyball Advances To 11th NCAA Final Four With Five-Set Win Against No. 16 Florida
12.12.2015 | Volleyball
The Texas senior class of Kat Brooks, Molly McCage and Amy Neal becomes the first in program history to play in four NCAA semifinals.
AUSTIN, Texas - No. 3 Texas volleyball advanced to its fourth consecutive NCAA Final Four for the first time in program history as the Longhorns outlasted 16th-ranked Florida 3-2 (22-25, 25-22, 25-19, 20-25, 17-15) on Saturday at Gregory Gym.
The Texas senior class of Kat Brooks, Molly McCage and Amy Neal becomes the first in program history to play in four NCAA semifinals. It is the seventh NCAA semifinal appearance in the last eight years for the Longhorns.
Third-seeded Texas will square off with second-seeded Minnesota in Thursday's NCAA semifinal in Omaha, Neb., with match time to be determined.
The Longhorns (29-2) had four players record double-figure kills, led by junior outside hitter Paulina Prieto Cerame's team-high 18. Junior middle blocker Chiaka Ogbogu recorded 15 kills on .462 hitting, while McCage and Neal each added 13 kills. McCage also had a team-high seven blocks, while hitting at a .591 efficiency.
Junior setter Chloe Collins dished out a match-high 58 assists, while sophomore libero Cat McCoy came up with a team-high 21 digs. Four Texas players recorded double-figure dig totals.
Texas out-blocked Florida 13-10 in the match. The Longhorns hit .279 for the night, while the Gators hit at a .230 clip.
Florida (25-7) was led by sophomore middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan's match-high 19 kills, as one of four players with double-figure kill totals, to complement seven blocks. Senior defensive specialist Nikki O'Rourke totaled a match-high 22 digs for the Gators.
Florida raced to an early 6-2 advantage in the first set following back-to-back blocks that forced a Texas timeout. A kill by Neal out of the timeout started a 5-2 run by the Longhorns that brought them within one, 8-7. With Texas down 9-7, consecutive kills by Yaazie Bedart-Ghani and Neal, and a Florida attack error gave the Longhorns a 10-9 lead.
Following nine more ties, Texas benefited from a Florida service error and a Prieto Cerame kill to go in front 20-18 leading into a Gator timeout. Alhassan had a kill for Florida and then teamed with Mackenzie Dagostino for a block to tie the score at 20. With the score knotted at 22-22, the Gators ran off three points in a row to take the 25-22 first-set victory. Florida hit .282 in the opening frame, while Texas hit .162.
Texas broke a 3-3 tie at the start of the second set, capitalizing on back-to-back Florida errors to take a 5-3 advantage. Leading 5-4, the Longhorns used a 4-1 run that included a pair of kills from Prieto Cerame to move in front 9-5 leading into a Gator timeout. Texas stretched that run to a 7-1 spree thanks to a strong serving run by Kat Brooks the put the Longhorns ahead 12-5. With Texas in front 13-6 after an Ogbogu kill, Florida ran off four in a row to cut within three, 13-10.
A 4-1 run that included a pair of kills from Neal extended the Longhorn advantage to five, 17-12. From there, Florida rallied to cut within one, 20-19, on the strength of an 8-2 run. Out of a timeout, the Longhorns increased their advantage to 22-19 after a kill from Ogbogu and a block by McCage and Neal that forced a Florida break. Texas closed out the 25-22 second-set victory with a resounding kill by McCage. The Longhorns hit .368 in the second frame, while the Gators hit .191.
The two teams battled evenly to begin the third set before Texas, leading 5-4, used a 3-1 run to take an 8-5 advantage. Neal had two kills for the Longhorns during that stretch. Trailing 10-7, Florida scored consecutive points to cut within one, 10-9. The two squads continued to trade points until Texas, leading 16-14 got a service ace from Neal that brought the crowd to its feet and sent the teams into a timeout with a 17-14 Longhorn advantage.
That was the start of a 5-0 Texas rally that ended with another Neal ace and a McCage kill and gave the Longhorns a 20-14 lead. Ahead 22-19, Texas scored the final three points of the third set that was capped off by an Ogbogu kill for the 25-19 third-set victory. Texas hit .265 in the third set, while Florida hit .135.
It was a closely contested start to the fourth set, but Texas took a 9-6 advantage following a kill on the right side by Bedart-Ghani. Florida ran off two in a row thanks to a Longhorn attack error and a Ziva Recek kill to cut within one, 9-8. With the score tied at 10-all, Texas scored five of the next six points to take a 15-11 lead after a block solo by Prieto Cerame.
The Gators then used a momentum-changing scoring run by Dagostino, including three service aces, to take a 17-15 lead of their own. Trailing 18-16, Texas got a kill from Ogbogu and a block by Bedart-Ghani and McCage to tie the score at 18-all. Florida then scored four consecutive points, including two kills from Gabby Mallette, to reclaim the lead at 22-18. Florida closed out the 25-20 fourth-set victory. Florida hit .323 in the fourth frame, while Texas hit .300.
The fifth set was closely contested until Texas pulled ahead 11-7 after back-to-back kills by Ogbogu and Neal. Florida then ran off five points in a row to take a 12-11 advantage. Alhassan had the last two kills in that scoring spree. The two squads would remain tied until back-to-back kills by Prieto Cerame clinched the 17-15 fifth-set victory.
POST-MATCH NOTES
- The Longhorns improve to 83-29 (.741) all-time in NCAA Tournament matches.
- Texas improves to 11-10 all-time in NCAA regional final matches, including a 7-3 mark under head coach Jerritt Elliott.
- The senior class of Kat Brooks, Molly McCage and Amy Neal improves to 112-12 (.903) as the winningest senior class in program history (by winning percentage). It ties the 2010 senior class with 112 overall wins.
NCAA Austin Regional All-Tournament Team
Most Valuable Player: Chiaka Ogbogu – Texas
Molly McCage – Texas
Paulina Prieto Cerame – Texas
Amy Neal – Texas
Rhamat Alhassan – Florida
Alex Holston – Florida
Lauryn Gillis - Wisconsin
