The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
25-4, 14-2Big 12
BYU
29-4, 16-2MWC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BYU | 23 | 14 | 26 | 25 | 14 | 2 |
| Texas | 25 | 25 | 24 | 22 | 16 | 3 |
12.09.2016 | Volleyball
The Longhorns defeated BYU, 3-2 to advance to the next round in the NCAA Tournament
AUSTIN, Texas – No. 4 seed Texas Volleyball (25-4) punched its ticket to the Elite Eight in thrilling fashion, knocking off No. 13 seed BYU (29-4), 3-2 (25-23, 25-14, 24-26, 22-25, 16-14), inside Gregory Gym on Friday afternoon.
With the win, Texas advances its 11th straight and 22nd all-time regional final match. The Longhorns improve to 66-9 (.880) in tournament matches hosted in Austin and a 33-2 (.943) mark under head coach Jerritt Elliott.
Four Longhorns registered double-digit kills on the match. Freshman Micaya White led all players with 24 kills, marking the seventh time she has had 20 or more kills on the season, coupled with a career-high 20 digs. Junior Ebony Nwanebu posted 19 kills while senior Paulina Prieto-Cerame followed suit with 16 kills. Sophomore Morgan Johson rounded out the double-digits for Texas with 11 kills, her new career-high.
Senior Chloe Collins tossed up a career-high 70 assists, moving her into 5th place all-time for assists at Texas with 3,570. Junior Cat McCoy posted a team-high 23 digs, and junior sophomore Yaazie Bedart-Ghani led the Longhorns with eight blocks.
As a team, Texas swung at a .364 hitting percentage (66-102) while holding BYU to .242 percent (66-112). The Horns outblocked the Cougars, 14-10.
The opening set was everything a Sweet Sixteen matchup should be, featuring three lead changes and 14 ties. The Longhorns found their strength behind White, who registered seven kills in the opening stanza, including a 3-0 run of her own to eliminate a 20-17 deficit. After a White ace evened things once again at 23, Prieto-Cerame drilled two to the wood to hand Texas set one, 25-23.
The Horns never trailed BYU in the second set and hit at a match-high .448 hitting percentage while holding the Cougars to .125 percent. After opening on a long rally that ended on a Nwanebu tip, Texas pressed ahead to as many as eight (16-8) headed into a BYU timeout. From there, the Longhorns continued to forge onward to capture set two, 25-14.
After three ties, BYU picked up its first lead since the opener and extended it to as many as three (13-10) in the heart of the third. A 4-0 stretch helped Texas regain control of the set, 21-18, and a Johnson kill made it match point with the Longhorns holding the 24-22 advantage. The Cougars proved tough, battling off two elimination points and closing on a 4-0 run to take set three, 26-24.
An 8-8 tie didn't dampen the BYU momentum, and the Cougars steered the fourth from that point on. After utilizing a 6-2 push to take the 20-14 lead, its largest of the match, BYU kept the striking distance to at least three for the remainder of the stanza and won the fourth set, 25-22.
The Cougars claimed the first five points of the final set with the help of two service aces and led by as many as six (11-5) in the closer, but the Texas front row had other plans. A 7-1 Longhorns attack tied things at 12, but two straight BYU kills made it match point. Texas remained calm, knocking down kills from Nwanebu and White to make it 14-14 and force extra points. Another Nwanebu kill made it match point once again, this time in favor of Texas, and a BYU attack error sealed the deal as Texas closed the fifth set, 16-14, and the match, 3-2.
Texas will face off against Creighton in the regional final on Saturday, Dec. 10 inside Gregory Gym. The first serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT, and the game will be carried live on ESPNU.
