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Oct. 21, 2009

Box Score | Photo gallery | Post-match video

AUSTIN, Texas -- Senior All-America outside hitter Destinee Hooker registered 19 kills on .594 and committed zero attack errors as the No. 2 Texas Volleyball team swept past Missouri, Wednesday night at Gregory Gymnasium. The 25-14, 25-20, 25-20 victory improved the Longhorns to 15-0 on the season and 10-0 through the first half of Big 12 play, while the Tigers fell to 12-9 and 4-6 in conference action.

Texas came out swinging in the first set, hitting .593 as a team and collecting 18 kills. Hooker jumpstarted the UT offense in the early going, recording five kills to give the Horns a 12-6 advantage. Missouri shrank the margin to four at the 12-8 mark before a 5-1 Texas rally paced by a block and a kill from junior middle blocker Jennifer Doris closed out the frame 25-14.

Missouri kept the score tight in the second set, tying the score five separate times, including a 14-14 tie midway through the stanza. Three kills by Hooker allowed the Horns to claim a 21-17 edge and a pair of late kills from junior All-America outside hitter Juliann Faucette and sophomore outside hitter Amber Roberson closed the door, 25-20.

In the third set, Texas used a 4-0 run capped by a kill from senior All-America setter Ashley Engle to take an 11-6 lead. The Tigers closed the gap to 13-10, but the Longhorns quickly pushed the lead back to five (15-10) on a service ace by Doris. Back-to-back kills by Hooker and a single kill from Roberson extended the lead to 21-14 and Doris' fifth kill of the match ended the set 25-20

Hooker added 10 digs, two blocks and one assist to her match-high 19 kills to headline a Texas offense that hit .452 on the night. Faucette added nine kills on .375 hitting and Roberson posted a career-best eight kills on .276 hitting. Engle returned from a two-match absence with 33 assists, four kills, four digs, two blocks and a service ace.

Texas returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 24 when it plays host to Colorado. First serve has been moved up to 4 p.m. Central to avoid a conflict with the Texas vs. Missouri football game.

POST-MATCH NOTES
· Texas' win improved the Horns to 17-10 all-time against Missouri and extended its winning streak against MU to six matches.
· The Longhorns have now won 24 consecutive regular-season matches, marking the second longest streak in UT history. Texas has won its last 15 home matches, dating back to Nov. 1, 2008.
· Hooker's kill/dig double-double (19 kills, 10 digs) was her sixth of the season and the 19th of her career.
· Texas' .452 team hitting percentage tied its highest team total of 2009.
· The attendance for the Texas/Missouri match was 3,252. Texas currently ranks fifth nationally in attendance, averaging 3,181 fans per-home match.

POST-MATCH QUOTES
Head coach Jerritt Elliott
On the game tonight: Overall I think it was a good performance by our team. We closed out the first half of the Big 12. I thought our numbers were pretty good. I think overall we got some good balance with our offense and a good job when we're missing two of our defensive specialists.

Senior setter Ashley Engle
On how she felt about the game tonight: Good. I think that our passing game was really good. It helps us with our rhythm when we can set it anywhere. We started getting a little shaky in games two and three. Overall, I think there are things we can work on, but it felt good.

On if the team has a "swagger" about them: I think "swagger" was kind of our goal for this season, and to earn that, and to earn the respect of our opponents. I think we've struggled so far, even though we are winning, we're winning messy. We can go into a match and get a win, but our defense wasn't as good, our blocking wasn't as good. There are always things you can improve on. I think the wins help with that swagger, but we know we still have so much to work on.

Senior outside hitter Destinee Hooker
On the atmosphere: It was very intense. Every time we made a great play, the crowd was behind us 100%. I think that's what Texas is about. You want to play in front of a crowd that appreciates what you do. I just think that overall it's great.

On leading the team in digs, as well as kills: I would just have to say coach believing in me to step up and pass, and encouraging me and my teammates. Getting the ball to the setter; that's my motivation.

On what's different about being a senior on the team: I would say that I'm more relaxed compared to my first years here. I know my responsibility and I stick to it.