No. 2 Volleyball defeats No. 10 Nebraska, 3-1, advances to NCAA semifinals
Horns nail down second consecutive trip to NCAA semifinals, will face Minnesota on Thursday, Dec. 17 in Tampa, Fla.
OMAHA, Neb. – Senior Destinee Hooker totaled 18 kills, and junior Juliann Faucette added 14 kills, as No. 2 Texas dealt 10th-seeded Nebraska a 3-1 (21-25, 25-18, 25-16, 25-17) defeat Saturday evening in the 2009 NCAA Volleyball Omaha Regional final. Texas reaches the NCAA Semifinals for a second consecutive season and will take on 11th-seeded Minnesota at 6 p.m. Central on Thursday, Dec. 17 in Tampa, Fla.
The Horns’ win made history as Texas became the first team in NCAA history to defeat Nebraska three times in the same season. Texas also became the first team to beat NU in four-straight meetings since UT did so between 1984 and 1988.
Hooker was selected as the regional’s Most Outstanding Player, and senior Ashley Engle added a double-double in the winning effort with 27 assists and 11 digs.
Nebraska took the first two points of the match on a pair of Texas errors before Hooker put the Horns on the board with a kill. A kill from NU’s Kori Cooper and two Husker blocks gave NU a 5-1 lead before UT responded with kills from Faucette and Hooker. Nebraska claimed the next three points to take an 8-3 lead and force a Texas timeout.
A lengthy rally on the ensuing point produced a well-placed Texas block, but the Huskers stretched their lead to 11-4 behind three Longhorns miscues, as UT used another timeout. Nebraska maintained its seven-point cushion and eventually took a 15-7 lead before Texas began to claw back. Two Faucette kills sandwiched around a Nebraska error cut the Huskers’ lead to 15-10. Trailing 16-10, Faucette and Hooker added a pair of kills to cut the deficit to 16-12 and force a Nebraska timeout.
A kill from Nebraska’s Tara Mueller preceded two Huskers errors and a Hooker service ace, as Texas trimmed the NU lead to 17-15 and forced another Nebraska timeout. Texas and Nebraska traded the next two points before the Huskers pulled away to claim the opening set. NU failed to convert one set point at 24-20, but a Mueller kill put away the set for the Huskers, 25-21.
The second set featured a tight, back-and-forth affair with neither team taking more than a two-point lead. Aided by three Huskers service errors in the set, Texas took a 15-13 lead on Hooker’s second service ace. Trailing 16-14, Nebraska answered with kills from Brooke Delano and Hannah Werth to even the set. Texas took advantage of a Nebraska service error and two net violations on the next three points to take a 19-16 lead and force a Huskers timeout.
An errant Nebraska attack and a block from Texas’ Rachael Adams and Amber Roberson staked Texas to a 21-16 lead. The Huskers answered with kills from Werth and Gina Mancuso to cut the lead to 21-18 and force a Texas timeout. UT’s Faucette smacked two more kills to stretch the lead out to 23-18, and after another Nebraska timeout, a Hooker kill and a double block from Faucette and Adams put away the second set for Texas, 25-18.
Hooker nailed her third service ace in set three to put Texas up 5-2. Leading 11-7, Hooker chased down an errant Texas dig near the scorer’s table and fed Faucette, who connected for a kill to give Texas an 11-7 lead and force a Nebraska timeout.
Leading 13-8, UT picked up kills from Hooker and Roberson to take a 15-8 lead. Texas followed a Hooker service error with a kill and a service ace from Jennifer Doris, as UT assumed a 17-9 lead and forced another Nebraska timeout.
The Longhorns stretched their lead to 19-10 and benefited from numerous Nebraska miscues, including two services aces, to set up match point at 24-15. Nebraska’s Delano saved one set point with a kill, but Doris answered for Texas to put away the third set for the Longhorns, 25-16.
Nebraska’s Lindsey Licht opened set four with two kills before Texas took four straight points behind kills from Faucette and Hooker, a block from Doris and a double block from Hooker and Doris. Licht notched another NU kill, but Faucette and Engle answered to give UT a 6-3 lead and force a Huskers timeout.
Nebraska claimed three of the next four points to trim the Texas lead to 7-6, and after a Nebraska attack error, the Huskers evened the set with a kill and an errant UT attack. A Texas attack error gave NU a 9-8 lead and forced a Texas timeout.
Texas’ Roberson sent the momentum back in the Horns’ favor with a kill and a block, though NU’s Cooper tallied a pair of kills to give NU an 11-10 lead. Tied at 13 apiece, Texas picked up a Hooker kill and two Huskers attack errors to assume a 16-13 lead and force Nebraska to call for time.
At 17-14, UT collected kills from Hooker, Engle and Doris to assume a 20-14 lead. UT took a 22-15 lead on a Nebraska service error before NU’s Sydney Anderson cut the lead to 22-16 with a kill. UT’s Adams recorded a kill to give Texas a 23-16 lead, and Engle followed with another to set up match points for Texas. A Hooker attack ran long on the following point, but an Adams tap on the next point fell to the floor, as Texas nailed down the set, 25-17 and secured the victory.
