No. 3 Texas Proves Worthy of Ranking

AUSTIN -- Coming off a win at Air Force on Wednesday, the BYU women’s volleyball team finished its road trip at No. 3 Texas Friday and found the Longhorns to be equal to their national ranking. Texas improved to 16-2 on the season with a 25-11, 25-16, 25-19 victory over the Cougars at Gregory Gymnasium.

BYU improved as the match progressed, scoring more points against the powerful Longhorns in each set. However, the 2,241 Texas fans in attendance were still able to witness their team’s 10th straight win overall and 23rd consecutive victory at home.

“I was encouraged to see how we responded after losing the first two sets,” BYU coach Shay Goulding said. “We came out swinging in the third set, and we showed a definite difference in our energy level.”

The Cougars got out of the gate slow in set one as Texas jumped out to a 7-1 lead and never looked back. BYU put up more resistance in the second set before putting up a real fight in set three. The Cougars took an early 4-1 lead and held the advantage on several occasions in the set before the Longhorns pulled away for the win.

“I was pleased with the leadership of Bryn (Porter) tonight,” Goulding said. “She really came out swinging in the third set. Kayla (Walker) also played well and continues to provide us with very consistent play.”

Porter paced the Cougars with 11 kills, joining Texas’ All-American Destinee Hooker as the only two players to record double-digit kills. Hooker put down a match-best 13 scores from her outside position with only one hitting error for a .600 attack percentage. Thanks in part to Hooker’s offensive efficiency, the Longhorns hit .345 as a team compared to BYU’s .105 success rate. Texas had 29 digs to BYU’s 26.

Porter has reached double figures in kills a team-leading 12 times this season. Fellow outside hitter Walker added seven and while Christina Measom contributed five kills from her rightside position. With Texas putting up a triple block against BYU’s middles, Rachel Dyer and Ashton Hosford were each limited to one kill apiece. Melissa Lake had a team-best eight digs while Ashley Engle paced Texas with nine digs.

The Cougars (10-9) return to Mountain West Conference play next week when they host TCU on Friday and New Mexico on Saturday at the Smith Fieldhouse. The Cougars look to respond with a strong showing as they begin the second half of league play.