No. 10 Texas Volleyball Blanks Texas A&M 3-0

By Spencer Kitley in Sports on October 6, 2011 at 8:39 am | 1 Comment

Freshman Khat Bell records a match-best 12 kills to lead the Horns to a win in the first State Farm Lone Star Showdown of the year.

The 10th-ranked Texas Volleyball team made short work of Texas A&M last night, cruising to a three-set win in front of 3,919 fans in the first contest of the 2011-12 State Farm Lone Star Showdown. The 25-15, 25-19, 25-23 victory improved the Longhorns to 10-4 on the year and 3-1 in Big 12 play, while the Aggies fell to 13-4 overall and 2-2 in Big 12 play.

This marks the eighth year of the Showdown, the all-sports athletic competition between Texas and Texas A&M. The Longhorns now hold a 0.5-to-0.0 lead in the standings that in order to win, a school must acquire 10.0 points during the year.

Freshman middle blocker Khat Bell headlined the Horns’ attack in the win, connecting for a match-best 12 kills and hitting at a career-high .611 clip. Sophomore opposite hitter Bailey Webster joined her in double figures with 10 kills on .421 hitting, while senior All-America middle blocker Rachael Adams posted nine kills and hit a season-best .583.

Texas used an early 6-1 run capped by an Eckerman kill to take a 9-4 edge to begin the first and UT put the set out of reach late with a set-ending 8-1 run fueled by a kill and two block assists by Webster.

In the second frame, Texas jumped out to a quick edge and did not look back, taking advantage of an 8-1 run headlined by the strong serve of junior opposite hitter Sha’Dare McNeal to claim a 16-9 lead. The Aggies fought back to close the margin to four, but Webster was too strong late in the frame and propelled the Horns to a 25-19 set win.

The Aggies kept the tally tight in the third, erasing a 19-17 deficit with a 4-1 run that put A&M in front 21-20. The Horns responded behind an Eckerman kill and three kills from Webster to capture the set, 25-23.

Texas returns to action on Wednesday, Oct. 12 when it plays host to Texas Tech. First serve is set for 7 p.m. Central on Longhorn Network.