Since their first meeting with Texas in 1980, the Lady Vols have seen their fair share of faults against the Longhorns.
In the two programs’ last matchup, a 3-0 sweep in favor of Texas sustained Tennessee’s struggle in the series.
The No. 17 Lady Vols took it the distance on the road against No. 2 Texas on Wednesday evening, falling 3-2 (22-25, 25-19, 17-25, 25-23, 7-15) at Gregory Gymnasium. The Longhorns (13-0, 5-0 SEC) outlasted Tennessee (12-2, 4-1 SEC) in a match that needed all five sets to decide a result.
Mackenzie Plante finished with a career-high 14 kills amidst the loss, a single tally behind Hayden Kubik for the team lead.
The battle began with a quick start from the home team. Torrey Stafford earned the first two kills of the night. The early goings of the opening frame forecasted a runaway victory for the Longhorns, but the Lady Vols began to show some life of their own.
After trailing 10-5, Tennessee junior Plante kick-started a Lady Vols run with an ace that followed a service error from Texas. The Lady Vols followed with a 14-6 run, and just as quickly as Texas gained the lead, it was gone. Despite the quick switch in momentum, the conference-leading Longhorns stayed poised and ended the first set on a 5-0 run, winning the opener 25-22 in a hectic fashion.
Stafford finished the set with four of the final five kills, nine in total through the first set alone.
The Lady Vols got started early in set two with a 6-2 advantage, a run that included kills from four different attackers. Tennessee held onto its lead for the entirety of the frame, surviving a few punches from Texas in the later stages. Before their loss in the second set, the Longhorns had not dropped a decision in 24 straight frames.
A clear difference emerged between the first two sets and the third.
After both teams were knotted at 10 points, the Lady Vols’ offense lost its rhythm, allowing Texas to jump out to a lengthy lead. The Longhorns embarked on two separate 5-0 runs within the set, a hole that Tennessee couldn’t dig itself out of. Texas rallied to put together its most complete frame. After the eight-point win, the Longhorns were back in the driver’s seat with a 2-1 match lead.
The game of runs continued, but the Lady Vols’ defense continued to play a factor. Excluding the third frame, Tennessee led each set in total blocks. The Lady Vols’ net defense remains an aspect of their game that head coach Eve Rackham Watt always banks on to make a difference.
The resistance paid off, along with some late-game clutch antics from Plante. The outside hitter posted another service ace, along with the set four clinching kill.
Tennessee’s upset attempt fell short as it dropped the deciding set 15-7, bringing an end to an 11-match winning streak.
