After creating a 24-14 lead in the second set, No. 2 Texas volleyball needed just one more point to put the set away with a decisive win against Arkansas.
Fans in Gregory Gymnasium took to their feet, as they do for every set point, eager to see what the home team would do next.
Junior setter Ella Swindle served the ball to the Razorbacks waiting on the other side of the net, which were ultimately met with a successful blocking attempt by freshman outside hitter Cari Spears and freshman middle blocker Taylor Harvey when returning.
The crowd seemed particularly excited about this set-ending block, but it certainly wasn’t the only one of the matchup. In fact, it seemed as though Texas’ blocking efforts helped set the tone throughout the entire matchup.
“Blocking will get everyone so energetic, and I think that’s really big for Texas,” Swindle said. “That’s kind of what we’ve been known for for so many years. So I think trying to get a bunch of energy from blocking, especially early on, kind of sets us up.”
The Longhorns tallied a grand total of 13 blocks throughout the game’s duration on their way to their 10th sweep of the season. They claimed each set with respective scores of 25-17, 25-14 and 27-25, showcasing their strength in tight moments.
Swindle emphasized her team’s ability to bring intensity during this more difficult period of the season.
“It felt amazing,” Swindle said of the win. “I think this time of year, everyone’s going through a lot of tired periods. We’re halfway through the season, and so to battle like that, I think we’re just time after time showing that we can battle through a lot of adversity.”
This adversity presented itself most prominently in the third set of the matchup, a set in which Arkansas kept itself in the battle until the very end. The two teams stayed within three points of one another throughout the whole set, and despite being down 23-21 near the very end, the Longhorns found a way to claim a win.
This victory effort was led by dominant offensive performances by multiple younger players. Freshman outside hitter Abby Vander Wal led the team in kills with 13, and Spears earned the most blocks with six.
The Longhorns’ undefeated season remains intact, and they have officially moved their record to 15-0. That being said, Swindle noted after the game that what her team is chasing is not a perfect record.
“We’re definitely not chasing a perfect record, and our coaches talk about it all the time,” Swindle said. “We’re trying to chase a lot of hardship now, so that we can peak at the right time. And so we’re definitely not complacent with what we’ve done so far.”
Nonetheless, the fact that Texas is one of two undefeated teams left in the NCAA this season — Nebraska is the other — helps capture how much talent this year’s group has demonstrated so far.
Next, they will look to utilize the momentum from their game against the Razorbacks to take down Oklahoma in Gregory Gymnasium on Sunday, Oct. 19, at 7:30 p.m.