The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
9-1
Arizona
9-2
No. 2 Volleyball wins five-set thriller over No. 16 Arizona
09.19.2015 | Volleyball
Five players hit a career-high mark in the match.
TUCSON, Ariz. – No. 2 Texas Volleyball won a five-set thriller (22-25, 25-16, 27-25, 20-25, 15-6) over No. 16 Arizona on Friday night in Tucson, Ariz.
Five Texas players recorded career-high numbers in the match.
Senior Amy Neal posted a career-high 24 kills, also posting 10 digs for her second double-double of the season.
Senior Molly McCage also had a career-high number in kills with 14, hitting .333 and also adding four blocks.
Junior Chloe Collins recorded her fourth double-double of the season with a career-high 63 assists and 10 digs. She also had a career-high six blocks.
Sophomore Cat McCoy also posted a career-high with 29 digs, while freshman Morgan Johnson added a career-high eight blocks.
Juniors Chiaka Ogbogu and Paulina Prieto Cerame joined Neal and McCage with double-digit kills, Prieto Cerame posting 13 and Ogbogu 10.
Ogbogu also added a career-high eight digs and seven blocks in the match.
As a team, Texas had a season-high 65 kills, outhitting the Wildcats, .202 to .115.
In the first set, the Wildcats jumped out to an early 4-1 lead and maintained it until Arizona led 14-10. Texas went on a 4-0 run to tie the score at 14, but the Wildcats responded and took a two-point lead. Arizona led by one or two the rest of the set to close it out, 25-22.
The Longhorns responded in the second set, leading 9-2 early with kills from Neal and McCage, a block by Ogbogu and an ace by freshman Lauren Beard. The Wildcats fired back with three-straight points, but Texas executed another 5-1 run to lead, 20-10. The Longhorns closed the set, 25-16, holding Arizona to a .029 hitting percentage.
In the third set, Texas pulled out to lead 7-4, but UA went on a 3-0 run to tie it at seven and took the lead at 9-8. From there, neither team led by more than two until the Longhorns pulled ahead, 18-15. The Wildcats stayed close until UT went on a 4-1 run to lead, 22-18. Arizona retaliated with four-straight points to tie it at 22. At 23-23, Neal fired off a kill to give Texas its first set point, but followed with a service error to tie it back at 24. The Horns had another set point at 25-24, but Arizona tied it again at 25. Back-to-back kills from Prieto Cerame gave Texas the set, 27-25 to put the Longhorns up, 2-1.
Arizona took control early in the fourth set with a 7-3 lead and maintained it throughout the set. Texas pulled to within one twice, but the Wildcats would not let UT close the gap completely. UA led 19-18 and continued on a 6-2 run to take set four, 25-20 and even the match at 2-2.
In the fifth set, Arizona jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but Texas answered with eight-straight points to lead, 8-2 before the Wildcats answered. The Longhorns kept their lead, outscoring UA, 7-4 to close the set, 15-6 and the match, 3-2.
Texas will return play its final match of the Wildcat Classic vs. New Mexico State on Saturday, Sept. 19 at noon CT.
