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Nov. 17, 2010

Final Stats |  Photo Gallery  | Post-match interviews

AUSTIN, Texas -- The eighth-ranked Texas Volleyball team extended its winning streak to 12 matches and snapped Missouri's six-match win streak as it swept past the Tigers, Wednesday night at Gregory Gymnasium. The 25-15, 25-20, 25-17 victory improved the Longhorns to 20-5 on the year and 15-2 in Big 12 play, while Mizzou fell to 19-9 and 11-7 in conference action.

Senior All-America outside hitter Juliann Faucette headlined the Horns attack on the night with a match-best 16 kills on .324 hitting and added 10 digs to register her 19th career kill/dig double-double. Junior middle blocker Rachael Adams returned to form in the victory, hammering out 11 kills on .714 hitting and junior outside hitter Amber Roberson came back after a two-match hiatus with nine kills and seven digs.

In the first set, Missouri claimed an early edge before Faucette led the Horns to a 10-0 run from behind the service stripe and gave UT a 13-5 lead. During the rally Adams and sophomore opposite hitter Sha'Dare McNeal paired on two double-blocks and Roberson closed out the run with two kills. A 4-0 run paced by two aces from senior middle blocker Jennifer Doris allowed the Longhorns to extend the lead to 23-11 and two kills by Adams closed out the set, 25-15.

Missouri kept the score tight to start the second stanza until Faucette fueled a 5-2 rally with two kills to give the Horns a 12-8 advantage. The Tigers battled back to narrow the margin to 16-14, but two blocks by Roberson keyed a 5-0 UT run to put the Horns in front 21-14. A 5-1 Mizzou rally closed the margin to three late in the set before two kills by Faucette propelled Texas to a 25-20 set win.

The Longhorns trailed 10-6 to start the third set prior to Faucette recording four points and Adams connecting for three kills as part of a 14-3 Texas run that gave UT a 20-13 lead. Kills by McNeal and senior outside hitter Lauren Dickson answered a Missouri rally to move the tally to 22-16. Faucette did the rest for the Longhorns, pounding out three-straight kills to end the set and lift Texas to a 25-17 victory.

Texas returns to action on Friday, Nov. 19 when it plays host to Kansas. First serve is set for 6:30 p.m. Central

POST-MATCH NOTES
• Texas' victory over Missouri improved the Longhorns' all-time record against the Tigers to 20-10 and 12-3 in Austin.
• The Longhorns' win extended their winning streak to 12 matches and improved its streak of Big 12 home victories to 23 matches.
• Juliann Faucette's 16-kill, 10-dig effort marked the 19th kill/dig double-double of her career and her fourth of the season.
• Texas' victory was its 20th of the season, marking the seventh-straight season the Horns have won at least 20 matches.

POST-MATCH QUOTES
Head coach Jerritt Elliott
General statement: I'm pleased. Our team continues to prepare well and I felt that tonight we were playing some of the best system volleyball that we have played all year. Our blocking did a phenomenal job. I thought our communication, trust and relationships were really good. We were able to put a lot of pressure on in that run in the first game and we were able to continue it throughout the match. We let up a little, but the overall performance of our team and their fight was good and I like where we are headed.

Junior middle blocker Rachael Adams
On her on-court connection with setter Michelle Kocher: Michelle is a really great setter and we have been working all this week on our tempo and to have me consistently driving so it makes it easier for her to give me a great ball. It really showed tonight.

On staying focused during a long season: I think one of our strategies is to stay fresh and just be ready every game. We don't take any team lightly or take any days off. I think that just keeps us going day after day in practice. We take care of our school work and our bodies. The staff is really great at keeping us fresh.

Senior outside hitter Juliann Faucette
On the return of Amber Roberson from injury: It's great. She's a great player and I thought she did really well tonight, especially with not having played for the last two matches. We just have a lot of weapons and that helps. Amber is one of those weapons that we can put out there and she can put up big numbers for us.

On the quick turnaround before Friday's game vs. Kansas: It kind of mirrors the NCAA tournament a little bit and I think that's what we are preparing for as conference ends. It's really important for us to do what we can with a match and if we can win 3-0, that's really good. That's what we did tonight and now we can look forward to Kansas coming.