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AUSTIN, Texas -- Jamie Houston had a match-high 20 kills and hit .529 to lead seventh-ranked Hawaii to a 3-1 (19-30, 30-18, 30-21, 30-20) victory over the University of Texas volleyball team Saturday evening in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Gregory Gym. The Rainbow Wahine will travel to State College, Pa., for regional play next weekend where they will face 10th-ranked Missouri in the NCAA Round of 16, while the Longhorns' season comes to an end.

Hawaii (27-6) overpowered the Longhorns, hitting .389 as a team and registering 14 blocks. Texas compiled a .257 team hitting percentage but had no answer for the Hawaii trio of Houston, Sarah Mason (15 kills, .448) and Victoria Prince (10 kills, .474).

Dariam Acevedo paced the seventh-ranked Longhorns (24-5) with 16 kills and 14 digs for her sixth double-double of the year, while Brandy Magee and Lauren Paolini added 15 and 12 kills, respectively.

Acevedo and Alyson Jennings each had match highs with 14 digs, while Magee was part of three of UT's four blocks.

The Longhorns won game one 30-19 thanks to an early 15-5 spurt keyed by Magee and Leticia Armstrong. Texas trailed 8-5 before a pair of Magee kills and an Acevedo kill knotted the game at eight apiece. The Longhorns then went on an 11-4 run, capped by another Acevedo kill, to build a 19-12 lead. Hawaii would get no closer than six points as Texas hit .500 in the frame while limiting the Rainbow Wahine to a .182 hitting percentage.

The teams traded punches early in game two until Hawaii went on a 9-3 run and put the Longhorns away with a 30-18 win. Texas trailed 13-11 following a Magee kill, but there would be no Longhorns rally in this game. A pair of kills by Mason and another by Susie Boogaard helped the Rainbow Wahine build a 16-11 edge, and Hawaii closed the game on a 7-1 run. Hawaii hit .385 in game two while holding Texas to a -.028 clip. Game three was much the same as the Rainbow Wahine broke open a tight contest with a 9-4 run and held on for a 30-21 triumph. An Acevedo kill pulled Texas within two at 14-12, but a pair of Longhorns errors and a Houston kill pushed Hawaii back in front. The Rainbow Wahine made just two errors in the frame, compiling a .514 attack percentage to UT's .312 mark.

Game four was all Hawaii as the Rainbow Wahine built leads of 6-1 and 20-11 and were never threatened in a 30-20 win.

With the loss, Texas suffered its first defeat at home in Gregory Gym in 2005, closing the season with a 11-1 record. The loss also snapped the Longhorns' 17-match winning streak that dated back to the mid-point of the 2004 season.

Texas' 50 wins (26 in 2004, 24 in 2005) in the last two seasons is the most in a two-year span since 1997-98, when UT went 52-12.

Hawaii won its fifth straight against Texas, as the Rainbow Wahine are now 10-1 all-time against the Longhorns. UT's only win came in the 1988 when UT defeated Hawaii, 3-0, in the NCAA Championship match in Minneapolis, Minn., to win the program's first NCAA title and second national championship overall.

The Longhorns will be set to make more noise nationally in 2006 as they return 11 of 12 letterwinners and all six starters, as well as the team's libero. UT's lone senior - Heather Schreiber - was a one-year player who previously was an All-American basketball player at the 40 Acres. UT has already signed a pair of top-10 prep recruits that will join the team in 2006.

HAWAII POSTGAME QUOTES
Dave Shoji - Head Coach
Opening Statement ... "I had mixed emotions going into the game. I knew someone had to lose, and I didn't think either team should be in this type of match in the second round. Our team rebounded after a poor game one, and the girls played the best volleyball match of their lives. I'm not sure what turned it around. It was just a matter of a momentum: we got it and never gave it up."

"I thought our seniors played their best match of the year. Ashley (Wantanabe) was outstanding and passes extremely well. And I thought Susie (Boogaard) had her best match of the year. Her stats don't show it, but she hit solidly and blocked and passed very well. We needed that senior leadership, and for them to step up, and they certainly did tonight."

Senior Outside Hitter Sarah Boogaard
On the turn-around after game one ... "I think we played like we need to play the rest of the match. We knew Texas would come back, and we started playing a whole lot better."

On stopping Texas' middle attack ... "I thought that our outsides and middles did a good job of blocking their slide, so it forced them to spread the floor. I thought we were focused, and we prepared so well for (Texas).

TEXAS POSTGAME QUOTES
Jerritt Elliott---Head Coach
Opening Statement... "First and foremost, I am extremely proud of this 2005 Texas team. A lot of people wrote us off when we lost (All-Americans) Mira (Topic) and Bethany (Howden) and, with their graduation, 60 percent of our offense. With five freshmen and sophomores, this team grew more than any team I have ever had. Our coaching staff did a great job, and I thought we got to a point where we could be a contender for the Final Four. It looked that way after game one tonight. We played extremely well, and we had a really good rhythm. We were winning the serve and pass game. In game two, we just made too many unforced errors. When we started to get on our heels, Hawaii started to get a lot of confidence. We ran into two buzzsaws on the outside, and we had no answer. Sarah Mason and Jamie Houston played a really great match, we didn't have an answer for that combination."

On his team and its future... "(This loss) hurts, and I am upset that we lost, but I am also excited. Of all the teams I have coached, the team's chemistry and loyalty to one another is phenomenal. They push each other on a daily basis. If they are committed to continuing on the road they have been, we are going to get them to a Final Four. It hurts now, and I want them to remember that. But I am so proud of the type of women we have in our program and their commitment to our University and how they represent it. I couldn't ask for anything more at this point in time."

Sophomore Libero Alyson Jennings
On the difference in the last three games... "In game one, we won the serve and pass game, but in the last three games, they were serving really tough. We should have done a better job passing. I think it just came down to that."

Freshman Opposite Hitter Lauren Paolini
On Hawaii's strong outside attack... "Their outside hitters were jumping over us (on the block), and we haven't had that problem all season. It was hard to make the adjustment to that new offense."