WICHITA, Kan. – No. 13 BYU women’s volleyball fell to No. 3 Texas 3-1 (23-25, 25-22, 25-19, 25-18) on Friday at the Shocker Volleyball Classic at Charles Koch Arena.
Senior McKenna Miller had 15 kills, five digs and three blocks for BYU (6-2) and sophomore Madelyn Robinson added 13 kills and eight digs. In the middle, sophomore Heather Gneiting recorded 10 kills and seven digs while junior Kennedy Eschenberg had nine kills and four blocks.
Set 1
With the set tied at 11, Texas (3-1) scored five of the next six points to go ahead, 16-12. The Cougars chipped away in response, finally tying the game back up 19-19 on a Miller kill and Longhorn attack error. Up 22-20, three straight service errors and a kill by Texas tied the match again, 23-23. But the Longhorns’ fifth service error of the set and another attack error gave BYU the victory, 25-23.
Set 2
Both teams exhibited their offenses in an extremely close second set that saw the teams combine for 39 kills out of 47 points. Texas took a 10-8 lead after which the two squads traded kills for almost the entire remainder of the set. The Cougars hit .354 in the set, but the Longhorns eked out the 25-22 win.
Set 3
An ace by Bower and a block by Eschenberg and Miller gave BYU an early 6-4 lead, but the Longhorns scored five-straight points to go up 9-6. From there the Cougars fought but couldn’t overcome the deficit, with Texas winning 25-19.
Set 4
Texas scored six of seven points to take a 16-11 lead in set four. The Cougar offense never could get going, with BYU falling by a score of 25-18.
The Cougars will finish their time in Kansas with a match on Saturday, Sept. 14, at noon CT against VCU.