No. 10 Texas Drops Huskers in Five Games

Austin, Texas -- The No. 10-ranked Longhorns used two outstanding individual performances to slip past the 12th-ranked Huskers, 15-11, 7-15, 12-15, 15-9, 15-13, in a battle for second place in the Big 12 Conference in front of 3,630 fans in Austin, Texas, on Saturday.

Texas senior Erin Aldrich and sophomore Kathy Tilson both posted career-highs with 32 and 31 kills, respectively, both marks breaking UT school record for single-match kills. Nebraska, which fell to 0-4 in five game matches this season, countered with a stellar effort from All-American Nancy Meendering, who finished with 32 kills, the third-best offensive performance of her career. Meendering also became the first player in school history to record six 30-kill performances in her career in the losing effort.

The Huskers bounced back from after losing a 40-minute first game, 15-11, to win the next two games behind a solid block attack. Nebraska, which finished the match with 21 total blocks, also had one of its best nights at the service line, recording a season-high 12 service aces, its best mark in 34 matches.

However, Nebraska?s floor defense struggled, allowing the Longhorns to hit .279 on the night, the highest mark by an NU opponent this season. Texas finished the match with 102 digs, compared to 87 by the Huskers.

"The thing that surprised and disappointed me was our defensive effort," Head Coach Terry Pettit said. "I certainly take some responsibility for that in some respect. We just didn't seem to be getting the balls we should have.

"This is one of those matches that could have gone either way. I felt in order for us to win, the match would have to go four or five games, because we just aren?t that dominant of a team right now."

Nebraska did sport one its most-balanced attacks of the season, finishing the night with five players recording double-figure kills. Freshman Greichaly Cepero had 12 kills to go along with a career-high 11 blocks, while freshman Amber Holmquist, Mandy Monson and Jenny Kropp all chipped in 10 kills apiece, a career-high mark for Holmquist. Monson also added a season-high 24 digs.

The deciding fifth game was no different than the first four, as the each team refused to give. Nebraska and Texas were tied four times before UT's Gippy Duarte kill put the Longhorns ahead 7-6. Texas couldn?t manage more than a two-point lead and Nebraska pulled within 12-11 after a Holmquist, Monson block.

Trailing 14-13, Nebraska served to tie the game, but Texas won the match after Tilson notched her 31st kill of the night.

In the first game, Texas used a powerful offense and a stiff defense to edge past the Huskers in a 40-minute game. Texas hit .290, while the Huskers managed just a .156 mark. Texas? defense prevented Nebraska's from running points, as NU was unable to run more than two consecutive points in the game. Meendering had 26 attacks in the first frame and had on nine kills. Aldrich was nearly unstoppable pouring in nine kills on 13 attacks for a .692 percentage. It appeared as if the Huskers would have a chance at a comeback after closing the gap at 11-13, but Nebraska ran out of substitutions and was forced to play Nikki Henk, a 5-9 defensive specialist, in the front row. It proved costly as the game ended on a Henk attack error.

After trailing 4-2 in the second game, Nebraska scored five straight points to take a 7-4 lead, before Texas pulled within two at 9-7. But the Huskers slammed the door shut using solid defense at the net as NU scored the final seven points, including five on Texas hitting errors. Nebraska had five blocks in the game, including two solo and two assists from Cepero. Texas finished the second game with a negative .047 hitting percentage.

The Huskers controlled the Longhorns early in game three, racing to a 9-2 lead behind two Oxley service aces and four early kills from Kropp. But Texas rallied and tied the match at 10 apiece after scoring eight straight points. Nebraska regained the lead after a kill from Oxley and managed to win the game despite running out of substitutions for the second time in the match. NU pushed ahead to 13-10, but Texas came within two at 14-12 and forced the Huskers to four game points, before NU capped the game on Meendering's 14th kill of the frame. Meendering hit .560 in the game, but UT's Aldrich countered with 13 kills and a .524 mark.

Texas broke a 6-6 tie in the fourth game by posting a 9-3 run to close out the game. It was the only game Texas managed to keep Meendering in check, as she had just two kills and a .000 hitting percentage. Tilson kept the pace for Texas, pounding nine kills on 15 attacks. It was the only game Texas out-blocked Nebraska (5-3)

Nebraska fell to 15-5 on the year and 7-3 in league play. It is just the second time in school history the Huskers have lost three conference matches. The match also marked the 900th of Pettit's career (junior college and Division I). The Huskers will host Texas Tech next Friday, Oct. 29 at 7 p.m. in the Nebraska Coliseum.