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Dec. 3, 2010

Box Score |  Photo Gallery  | Post-match video

AUSTIN, Texas -- The sixth-ranked Texas Volleyball team extended its winning streak to 16 matches as it swept UTSA in first round action at the NCAA Volleyball Austin Sub-Regional, Friday night. The 25-11, 25-18, 25-15 victory improved the Horns' all-time NCAA First Round record to a perfect 24-0. The Longhorns moved to 24-5 on the season with the victory, while the Roadrunners concluded their season with a 22-12 mark.

The win advances UT to the second round where it will meet ninth-ranked UCLA which beat American, 3-2 in first round action. First serve of the match is set for 6:30 p.m. Central on Saturday, Dec. 3.

Junior middle blocker Rachael Adams highlighted the Texas attack with 12 kills on .588 hitting as the Horns posted a .395 team hitting percentage. Senior All-America outside hitter Juliann Faucette connected for 11 kills in the win and added five digs and five blocks. Sophomore opposite hitter Sha'Dare McNeal registered seven kills, six digs and three assists in the victory.

In the first, UTSA kept the tally tight in the early going before Texas went on an 15-2 run fueled by two kills by junior outside hitter Amber Roberson to take a 20-7 lead. Faucette hammered out two kills down the stretch and helped the Horns close out the frame, 25-11.

Texas remained hot in the second, using a pair of kills and a block by Adams to claim a 9-3 advantage. The Roadrunners narrowed the lead to three at the 17-14 mark, but the Longhorns answered with a 5-0 run headlined by two kills from Adams that put UT in front 22-14. Kills by Roberson, McNeal and senior middle blocker Jennifer Doris closed out the set for the Horns, 25-18.

UTSA played the Longhorns tough in the third set, keeping the margin at two until the 8-6 mark. A pair of Adams kills allowed UT to stretch its lead to five at the 15-10 mark and Texas went on to close out the set on a 7-2 run, taking advantage of two kills by Adams to claim a 25-15 set victory.

Texas Post-match notes
-Texas is making its 27th NCAA Tournament appearance
-The Horns enter the 2010 NCAA Tournament as the No. 9 overall seed after finishing second in the Big 12 Conference
-Texas is now 6-0 all-time against UTSA
-Texas improves to 24-0 in NCAA First Round matches
-Texas improves their winning streak to 16 matches
-Texas improves their 2010 season record to 24-5 and notches its seventh-straight season with at least 24 wins.

UTSA Post-match notes
-UTSA is making its second NCAA Tournament appearance.
-UTSA won the program's second Southland Conference Tournament title on Nov. 21
-Texas was the first ranked opponent UTSA has played this season.
-UTSA head coach Laura Neugabauer-Groff was an All-American at Texas (1982-85) and helped the Longhorns to four straight NCAA Regional appearances
-UTSA falls to 0-2 in NCAA Tournament matches
-UTSA finishes the 2010 season at 22-12

Texas Post-match quotes
Head coach Jerritt Elliott
General statement:  First, I want to congratulate Laura [Neugebauer-Groff] on a great season.  She's worked really hard to turn that program around and get to the NCAA tournament.  It's well deserved. Her being an alum, it's great to see Laura here and be part of the first and second round of the tournament.  I was pleased with our performance tonight.  I thought we had good execution. I thought we had the right mentality going into the match tonight, and we were able to sustain that.  UTSA was scrappy; they put some pressure on us and they had a few runs, but we were able to respond, come out with a victory and put ourselves in a position to move on to the next round.

On if the team pays attentions to the different brackets:  No, one of the big things that we stress with our team, [since] we've been around the block now, the last four years, is to understand that in the NCAA tournament, there are going to be upsets.  And we put one team in front of us, and that's what we focus on.  We knew going into this that there were going to be upsets, and there will continue to be upsets, so if we take care of the teams in front of us, the other part of the bracket doesn't really affect us at all. 

On UCLA:  UCLA is a really good team.  They're ranked ninth in the country, and they beat Stanford.  They went five at Cal.  American is a tough team to play.  They are very well-coached. They mixed up the game a little bit.  I think UCLA's game is more suited for a team like ours.  They can have a lot of velocity, balance and speed, something that you used to see in terms of a true volleyball swing, from high end players that can play high.  They are one of the best defensive teams in the country, and they play well together.  I'm assuming they will play to another notch.  You got to see it at the end of the match. Their left sides really picked it up, and took big swings, which we hadn't seen all night long.

Senior outside hitter Juliann Faucette
On how important a quick start was for the game tonight:  I think coming out strong, getting those jitters out, starting the NCAA tournament off right is really good for us.  We've had a long week of practice having to wait for this moment. In our conference, we're not used to playing on back-to-back nights, so it's really important for us to come out strong tonight. Moving on to the next round is really good for us, and we can be ready to go tomorrow.

On if she thinks Texas has an advantage over UCLA since UCLA struggled tonight:  No, I think that UCLA is a great team.  They are in battles all the time in the Pac-10, and they are used to having to push, and go five games, and turn around and play the next night. I wouldn't say it's an advantage for us over them.  It's going to be a good battle tomorrow night, and I'm really excited.

Junior middle blocker Rachael Adams
On her role as a blocker:  As a middle blocker I like taking charge, and making sure that my fellow blockers are on it and know their jobs so we can execute. That's one of our goals, so when they hit numbers like that, we know we're doing our job.

On if she sets a goal for her hitting percentage:  [I have] no goal with hitting percentage, I just want to have speed, and [I want to] constantly communicate with my setters, so they know I'm available.

Junior setter Michelle Kocher
On how the team approached the game tonight:  I say we approach every game kind of the same.  It is something special to play in Gregory Gym.  We love our fans and we love this atmosphere they provide for us.  It's always something that we look forward to, so it's fun.

UTSA Post-match Quotes
Head coach Laura Groff
General Statement: I want to thank Texas for having us here.  It's just a great experience for my players and for our school.  It's been a great year for us.  We expected a little more than what we saw out of our team tonight, but when you're playing a team like Texas they tend to take you out of your game.  I have to give Texas a lot of credit for tonight's match.  I'm proud of my players.  I thought we got better as the match went on.  If we would've gone to a game six or seven we might have been able to pull off a win.  But it is what it is, and I'm just really proud of my players.

On being back in Gregory Gym: It was just surreal.  I walked around and still recognized some people that were here when I played.  Some of my former teammates were here too, which was very special for me.  The atmosphere here is great.  It's such a wonderful place to play.  I was so excited for my team just to come here to play and experience that.

Senior outside hitter Kendra Rowland
On playing her last game at UTSA: Obviously it's a little sad to know this is the last game I'll play collegiately.  But at the same time it's very exciting.  It was an awesome experience to make it this far, and I'm so proud of my teammates for getting our team here.

On the difference between the regular season and the NCAA Tournament: Well obviously the size of the team is a big difference.  We're not used to seeing girls that tall.  It was just a totally different element, but it was just as exciting and intense.  We had to work just as hard in season and out.

Junior DS Kelsey Jewasko
On what the team takes away from the NCAA Tournament experience: Well, I think this year's team definitely set the bar high and showed that we are capable of doing this.  Now we've got a little experience under our belt, and hopefully next year we can feel a little more comfortable and have a little more success.  We have to thank our seniors who got us here this year and hope that we can do the same thing next season.

On the difference between the regular season and the NCAA Tournament: It was definitely a faster pace (in the tournament).  It was fun to be the underdog and have a good experience.  It took us a little while to adjust, but then we started seeing the ball better.  I really enjoyed the opportunity to play in such a competitive atmosphere.