Saturday, November 24
Austin, Texas
2:00 p.m.
West Virginia University
at
Texas
Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
WVU Sets for Season Finale at No. 5 Texas
November 23, 2018 04:01 PM | Volleyball
AUSTIN, Texas – The West Virginia University volleyball team will cap its 2018 regular season on Saturday, as the Mountaineers take on No. 5 Texas in a 2 p.m. ET league tilt, inside Gregory Gymnasium, in Austin, Texas.
The Longhorn Network will televise Saturday's match through WatchESPN and the ESPN app. Live stats will be provided through StatBroadcast.
"Texas is one of the best teams in the nation every year," fourth-year coach Reed Sunahara said. "They consistently advance to the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament, and Saturday is going to be a good challenge for our team. We will need to be on top of our game and execute well. We need to limit our mistakes and stay consistent."
The Mountaineers (11-18, 2-13) and the Longhorns (19-4, 14-1) first met in August of 2012, as Saturday marks the second match of the season between the two teams. WVU and UT last met on Sept. 29, at the WVU Coliseum, in Morgantown, as the Mountaineers fell to the Longhorns in set scores of 25-18, 25-15 and 25-19. Freshman outside hitter Kristin Lux led the way with 11 kills, followed by junior outside hitter Katelyn Evans with nine. The Mountaineers finished the contest with 32 kills, 26 digs and four team blocks. Texas currently holds a 13-0 all-time advantage in the series.
Of note, WVU has not won a match on the road in Big 12 play this year, holding a 2-8 record in away matches. West Virginia is 0-6 in Gregory Gym and has a 5-25 record in the state of Texas all-time.
Most recently, the Mountaineers suffered a 3-1 loss at No. 25 Baylor on Wednesday, at the Ferrell Center, in Waco, Texas. The Lady Bears took the match from the Mountaineers in set scores of 25-27, 25-16, 25-19 and 25-16. Lux had a team-best 13 kills for WVU, followed by Evans with 12. Sophomore defensive specialist Alexa Hasting had a team-high 18 digs, while freshman setter Lacey Zerwas was one dig shy of her sixth double-double this season, recording nine digs and 35 assists in the match. WVU finished the match hitting .087 with 41 kills and nine team blocks.
Sophomore middle blocker Katie DeMeo has developed into one of the league's premier blockers. She currently ranks fourth in the Big 12 Conference and 30th nationally in blocks per set, with 1.31. The Mountaineers rank sixth in the Big 12, averaging 2.37 blocks per set. WVU is outblocking its opponents, 258.5-230.0.
Evans leads the team offensively with 342 kills, averaging 3.17 per set to rank ninth in the Big 12. The Palmdale, California, native has recorded double-digit kills in 19 matches, including eight of the last 11. Evans also tallied a pair of 20-plus kill performances on the year.
Texas improved to 19-4 overall with a sweep over Texas Tech on Wednesday, at United Supermarkets Arena, in Lubbock, Texas. The Longhorns are riding a 34-consecutive home win streak in Big 12 Conference play. The last time the Longhorns lost at home in league action was Oct. 25, 2014, vs. Oklahoma.
Texas is 9-1 at home this season and has only lost 11 matches at home since 2007 for a 188-11 record. Outside hitter Micaya White leads UT's offense with 3.84 kills per set, while libero Sydney Petersen paces the Longhorn's floor defense with 3.54 digs per set.
Of note, the Mountaineers are one win away from collecting their 700th win in program history. West Virginia currently holds a 699-741 all-time record since its inaugural season in 1974.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
The Longhorn Network will televise Saturday's match through WatchESPN and the ESPN app. Live stats will be provided through StatBroadcast.
"Texas is one of the best teams in the nation every year," fourth-year coach Reed Sunahara said. "They consistently advance to the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament, and Saturday is going to be a good challenge for our team. We will need to be on top of our game and execute well. We need to limit our mistakes and stay consistent."
The Mountaineers (11-18, 2-13) and the Longhorns (19-4, 14-1) first met in August of 2012, as Saturday marks the second match of the season between the two teams. WVU and UT last met on Sept. 29, at the WVU Coliseum, in Morgantown, as the Mountaineers fell to the Longhorns in set scores of 25-18, 25-15 and 25-19. Freshman outside hitter Kristin Lux led the way with 11 kills, followed by junior outside hitter Katelyn Evans with nine. The Mountaineers finished the contest with 32 kills, 26 digs and four team blocks. Texas currently holds a 13-0 all-time advantage in the series.
Of note, WVU has not won a match on the road in Big 12 play this year, holding a 2-8 record in away matches. West Virginia is 0-6 in Gregory Gym and has a 5-25 record in the state of Texas all-time.
Most recently, the Mountaineers suffered a 3-1 loss at No. 25 Baylor on Wednesday, at the Ferrell Center, in Waco, Texas. The Lady Bears took the match from the Mountaineers in set scores of 25-27, 25-16, 25-19 and 25-16. Lux had a team-best 13 kills for WVU, followed by Evans with 12. Sophomore defensive specialist Alexa Hasting had a team-high 18 digs, while freshman setter Lacey Zerwas was one dig shy of her sixth double-double this season, recording nine digs and 35 assists in the match. WVU finished the match hitting .087 with 41 kills and nine team blocks.
Sophomore middle blocker Katie DeMeo has developed into one of the league's premier blockers. She currently ranks fourth in the Big 12 Conference and 30th nationally in blocks per set, with 1.31. The Mountaineers rank sixth in the Big 12, averaging 2.37 blocks per set. WVU is outblocking its opponents, 258.5-230.0.
Evans leads the team offensively with 342 kills, averaging 3.17 per set to rank ninth in the Big 12. The Palmdale, California, native has recorded double-digit kills in 19 matches, including eight of the last 11. Evans also tallied a pair of 20-plus kill performances on the year.
Texas improved to 19-4 overall with a sweep over Texas Tech on Wednesday, at United Supermarkets Arena, in Lubbock, Texas. The Longhorns are riding a 34-consecutive home win streak in Big 12 Conference play. The last time the Longhorns lost at home in league action was Oct. 25, 2014, vs. Oklahoma.
Texas is 9-1 at home this season and has only lost 11 matches at home since 2007 for a 188-11 record. Outside hitter Micaya White leads UT's offense with 3.84 kills per set, while libero Sydney Petersen paces the Longhorn's floor defense with 3.54 digs per set.
Of note, the Mountaineers are one win away from collecting their 700th win in program history. West Virginia currently holds a 699-741 all-time record since its inaugural season in 1974.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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