Friday night #8 Texas Volleyball (6-3 overall, 1-0 conference) delivered in-state rival and once-again conference foe, Texas A&M (9-2 overall, 0-1 conference) their second loss of the season in four sets (3-1). The Longhorns first SEC contest was played before a sea of nine thousand maroon fans, but Texas found a way to survive their inconsistent performance bringing the all-time series to 77-23 over the Aggies.
Despite the victory, the reigning, back-to-back National Champions have not found their equilibrium. The Longhorns finished with a low .175 hitting efficiency across four sets compared to a season average of .253; moreover, Texas was rife with attack (26) and service (9) errors. Offensively, the Longhorn’s two veteran outside hitters struggled. Although she managed to find 11 kills, Madisen Skinner, arguably had one of her toughest days at Texas hitting only .029, and Jenna Wenaas, an efficiency of 0.69 with eight kills. The near offensive collapse was mitigated by the strong contributions from opposite hitter Reagan Rutherford at .280 hitting efficiency and 11 kills, middle blocker Marianna Singletary at .417 and seven kills, and outside hitter Devin Kahahawai at .304 and 11 kills, respectively. Texas’ defense was outplayed at the net, too, with five blocks in stark contrast to Texas A&M’s 14.
Despite the headwinds, Texas prevailed in a challenging environment against a program they haven’t faced in a conference match since 2011. Moreover, the match highlighted the Longhorns’ strengths are still able to combat their weaknesses. With Conference just beginning, Texas will have an opportunity to continue refining and build the chemistry needed to make a third run at another Title. Sunday the Longhorns will be tested on the road again versus LSU in Baton Rouge at 2PM on SECN.
