In the first set, senior libero Emma Halter landed back-to-back service aces in a 4-0 opening run as junior outside hitter Torrey Stafford led the team with six kills while hitting .857 and adding three digs. Oklahoma fought to keep the set close, but to no avail with Texas grabbing the early edge and only trailing twice to close the opening set, 25-23, thanks to an attacking error by the Sooners and a kill by freshman middle blocker Taylor Harvey.
It was a set the visitors needed to win and perhaps should have won — Texas didn’t record a block as Oklahoma recorded a .481 hitting percentage with 15 kills and only two errors.
The battle remained tight between both teams in the second set with nine ties. Oklahoma’s strong defense at the net helped the Sooners gain a small 10-8 lead, but the Longhorns tallied 16 kills and 14 assists in the second set, led by junior setter Ella Swindle, who lent a hand with 11 of her 41 assists. A kill from sophomore middle blocker Ayden Ames changed the momentum by encouraging the true freshman Abby Vander Wal to notch six kills in the set. Halter helped defensively with five digs and the Horns closed the second set on a 5-0 scoring run with a hitting percentage of .375 to end the set, 25-19.
The third set was the closest of the four sets, dropped by the Longhorns, 26-24, after 18 ties and eight lead changes. Oklahoma hit .312 and recorded six blocks, closing the set out on three attacking errors by Texas freshman outside hitter Cari Spears.
In the fourth and final set, Texas jumped out to an early 6-2 lead with Swindle at the helm delivering on of her three service aces in the set. The Longhorns continued to challenge the Sooners at the net with Ames, Spears, Stafford, and Vander Wal making an impact in a 4-0 run extending the Longhorn lead to 14-7. Texas closed the match out with a 9-1 run to take the win against OU, limiting the Sooners to a .043 hitting percentage while recording 13 kills to seal the win, 25-14.
Texas recorded a season high of 11 aces, led by Halter’s four, tying her career high. Outside hitters Vander Wal and Stafford combined for 32 kills while Vander Wal recorded a career high with 15 kills, marking her fourth match in a row with double-digit kills. Stafford collected 17 kills with 4 digs while hitting .417 in the win.
Next, the No. 2 Longhorns travel to Oxford to face the Ole Miss on Friday at 7 p.m. Central on SEC Network.