Saturday, October 28
Austin, Texas
8:00 p.m.
West Virginia University
14-9, 3-7Big 12
0
at
3
Texas
17-2, 9-0Big 12
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Virginia | 19 | 26 | 17 | 0 |
| Texas | 25 | 28 | 25 | 3 |
Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
WVU Falls to No. 3 Texas in Three Sets
October 28, 2017 10:45 PM | Volleyball
AUSTIN, Texas – Playing its sixth opponent ranked inside the AVCA Coaches' Top 25 Poll, the West Virginia University volleyball team dropped a 3-0 match to No. 3 Texas on Saturday evening inside the Gregory Gymnasium in Austin, Texas. The Longhorns (17-2, 9-0) claimed the match in set scores of 25-19, 28-26 and 25-17.
Sophomore right side hitter Natania Levak led the Mountaineers (14-9, 3-7) with 12 kills, followed by sophomore outside hitter Payton Caffrey with 11. Senior middle blocker Mia Swanegan rounded out the Mountaineers in double figures with 10, hitting a team-high .238 in the process.
In addition, senior libero Gianna Gotterba had a team-best 14 digs, while sophomore setter Erin Slinde dished out 33 assists. Caffrey led the Mountaineers in service aces with three, while Swanegan and Slinde notched two apiece in tonight's contest for a team total of seven.
West Virginia finished the match hitting .151 with 42 kills and one team block. Led by Chiaka Ogbogu's 11 kills, Texas hit .358 with 41 kills and eight team blocks.
Caffrey led the squad with five kills in the first set loss to the Longhorns. Texas claimed five of the first six points for a 5-1 lead, though back-to-back points for WVU brought the Mountaineers within one, down 9-8 on a Caffrey kill. Caffrey later found the floor two more times to cut the team's deficit to one point, trailing 19-18. However, consecutive hitting errors by West Virginia helped the Longhorns to a 23-18 lead after a four-point scoring streak. A Texas kill brought up set point at 24-19. The Longhorns then capitalized on a Mountaineer attacking error to claim the set, 25-19, to go up 1-0 in the match.
A 4-0 Mountaineer run tied the score at 15-15 in set two, as the two teams stayed close throughout the remainder of the set. West Virginia held a late 22-20 lead, but the Longhorns capitalized on a couple Mountaineer miscues to tie the set at 22, forcing West Virginia to take a timeout. Caffrey put the ball through the pins out of the stoppage to go up 23-22, but Texas notched back-to-back kills to bring up set point at 24-23. The Mountaineers stayed alive, though, as Levak and Swanegan each added a kill to take a 25-24 lead once again. The match was then extended, as Texas' Micaya White threw down a kill, 25-25. The Longhorns then went on to claim two of the next three points to win the set at 28-26 and take a 2-0 match advantage.
The Mountaineers went up 3-0 in the third set, but the Longhorns countered with a 4-0 run of their own to take an early 4-3 lead. Texas later scored five straight points, holding a 17-12 advantage and forcing WVU to take its first timeout of the set. Though the teams traded points down the stretch, West Virginia couldn't overtake a Longhorn team hitting .417 and dropped the set, 25-17, to end the match.
Of note, Saturday's match marked West Virginia's sixth opponent ranked in the AVCA Coaches' Poll this season. No. 3 Texas has been nationally ranked for all previous meetings, with the Longhorns now holding a 12-0 lead in the all-time series. Saturday also marked the Mountaineers 22nd match in the Lone Star state as a member of the Big 12 Conference, with the team attaining a 5-17 record since joining the league in 2012.
Up next, West Virginia will take a break in league play with a nonconference match against Robert Morris on Tuesday, Oct. 31. First serve is set for 6 p.m. ET.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Sophomore right side hitter Natania Levak led the Mountaineers (14-9, 3-7) with 12 kills, followed by sophomore outside hitter Payton Caffrey with 11. Senior middle blocker Mia Swanegan rounded out the Mountaineers in double figures with 10, hitting a team-high .238 in the process.
In addition, senior libero Gianna Gotterba had a team-best 14 digs, while sophomore setter Erin Slinde dished out 33 assists. Caffrey led the Mountaineers in service aces with three, while Swanegan and Slinde notched two apiece in tonight's contest for a team total of seven.
West Virginia finished the match hitting .151 with 42 kills and one team block. Led by Chiaka Ogbogu's 11 kills, Texas hit .358 with 41 kills and eight team blocks.
Caffrey led the squad with five kills in the first set loss to the Longhorns. Texas claimed five of the first six points for a 5-1 lead, though back-to-back points for WVU brought the Mountaineers within one, down 9-8 on a Caffrey kill. Caffrey later found the floor two more times to cut the team's deficit to one point, trailing 19-18. However, consecutive hitting errors by West Virginia helped the Longhorns to a 23-18 lead after a four-point scoring streak. A Texas kill brought up set point at 24-19. The Longhorns then capitalized on a Mountaineer attacking error to claim the set, 25-19, to go up 1-0 in the match.
A 4-0 Mountaineer run tied the score at 15-15 in set two, as the two teams stayed close throughout the remainder of the set. West Virginia held a late 22-20 lead, but the Longhorns capitalized on a couple Mountaineer miscues to tie the set at 22, forcing West Virginia to take a timeout. Caffrey put the ball through the pins out of the stoppage to go up 23-22, but Texas notched back-to-back kills to bring up set point at 24-23. The Mountaineers stayed alive, though, as Levak and Swanegan each added a kill to take a 25-24 lead once again. The match was then extended, as Texas' Micaya White threw down a kill, 25-25. The Longhorns then went on to claim two of the next three points to win the set at 28-26 and take a 2-0 match advantage.
The Mountaineers went up 3-0 in the third set, but the Longhorns countered with a 4-0 run of their own to take an early 4-3 lead. Texas later scored five straight points, holding a 17-12 advantage and forcing WVU to take its first timeout of the set. Though the teams traded points down the stretch, West Virginia couldn't overtake a Longhorn team hitting .417 and dropped the set, 25-17, to end the match.
Of note, Saturday's match marked West Virginia's sixth opponent ranked in the AVCA Coaches' Poll this season. No. 3 Texas has been nationally ranked for all previous meetings, with the Longhorns now holding a 12-0 lead in the all-time series. Saturday also marked the Mountaineers 22nd match in the Lone Star state as a member of the Big 12 Conference, with the team attaining a 5-17 record since joining the league in 2012.
Up next, West Virginia will take a break in league play with a nonconference match against Robert Morris on Tuesday, Oct. 31. First serve is set for 6 p.m. ET.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Team Stats
WVU
UT
Kills
42
41
Errors
24
7
Attempts
119
95
Hitting %
.151
.358
Points
50.0
52.0
Assists
41
40
Aces
7
3
Blocks
1.0
8.0
Game Leaders
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
11
Aces
3
Blocks
0
Kills
10
Aces
2
Blocks
1
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Players Mentioned
L
/ VolleyballRS
/ Volleyball
S
/ VolleyballMB
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