No. 9 Texas volleyball continues to test its resiliency game after game. After dropping early sets against Alabama and Arkansas, Texas stormed back to win both games 3-1.
Against Oklahoma, however, Texas waited for a surge of energy and a shift in momentum that never came. The Longhorns were unable to overcome early struggles, and fell quietly 3-0 to the Sooners Sunday afternoon.
Oklahoma controlled the majority of this game, breezing past Texas in the first two sets and putting the Longhorns in a hole they could not dig themselves out of. Texas showed all its effort in set three, however. Texas trailed 15-9 before rallying to the tune of an 8-2 run and tying the set at 17-17. The Longhorns’ efforts continued as they stormed back 24-20 to extend the set, battling with the Sooners before eventually dropping the final set 30-28.
Texas’ loss to Oklahoma failed to show improvement after head coach Jerritt Elliott’s locker room talk following the shaky win against Alabama on Oct. 4. The team still has trouble putting it all together. The talent on Texas is enough to scrape by against teams like Mississippi State, Alabama and Arkansas. However, against rival Oklahoma on the road, Texas has to be able to put out a more holistic effort.
“(We) really kind of challenged (Alabama),” Elliott said. “So this week we worked on some mental stuff and some team meetings on how to be better prepared.”
As senior middle blocker Nya Bunton continues to fight an injury, Texas’ depth pieces continue to show their versatility. Sophomore middle blockers Mackenzie Collins and Taylor Harvey saw the most play in replacement of the injured senior, and Texas’ defense continued to give the Longhorns an opportunity to drag themselves back into the game.
Texas continues to be a good blocking defense, stifling teams at the net and ending rallies early. Despite the one-sided game, Texas out-blocked Oklahoma with eight total blocks to seven. The effort was not strong enough to turn the tides on the road, but should make transitioning easier when Bunton returns from injury.
“(Collins) is just a dynamic athlete,” Elliott said. “The biggest thing is her blocking and her transition. Being able to be available.”
Texas’ offense, however, fell silent against Oklahoma. Senior outside hitter Torrey Stafford had her lowest kills in a game since the Longhorn’s 3-0 loss against Kentucky on Sept. 27. Stafford paired with freshman outside hitter Henley Anderson as the only two Longhorns to record double-digit kills. Oklahoma was able to hold down a team that is often able to light up the scoreboard with its outside hitters.
Sophomore outside hitter Cari Spears continued her slow streak, following up a four-kill performance against Arkansas with a one-kill performance against Oklahoma. In absence of Spears’ production, sophomore outside hitter Addy Gaido played important rotational minutes. Gaido provided precise strikes and was a big contributor during Texas’ last grasp at a win in set three, despite only having six kills on the day.
Texas heads back to Austin to host Auburn at Gregory Gymnasium on Friday, Oct. 16 at 6:30 p.m.
