By Caroline Cooper
Austin Sports Journal
The No. 2 Texas Longhorns continue their streak of dominance with a sweep over No. 9 TCU Wednesday night at Gregory Gymnasium.
Torrey Stafford lead the longhorns sweep over the Horned Frogs, 25-12, 25-17, 25-18, with an impressive 15 kills and 13 digs with a combined hitting percentage of .542. Freshmen Cari Spears also had a role in helping the Longhorns improve to an 8-0 record after a 25-18, 25-12, 25-13 win over visiting No. 21 Baylor Friday.
Spears had a career-tying and match-high of 18 kills and a .654 attack percentage, while also adding three blocks, four digs and an ace in just her eighth collegiate appearance.
The Longhorns will open conference play Wednesday they host the Vanderbilt Commodores in their return to the court after 45 years.
UTSA goes 3-0 in Roadrunner Classic
The Roadrunners continued their climb over the past weekend as Liberty Hill alum Taylor Gaines continues her breakout freshman season. Gaines was able to help the team come back after a first set loss against North Florida on Friday with a service ace that gave the team a lead that ultimately lead them to a 25-16 set win.
The Roadrunners came out victorious against North Florida 20-25, 25-16, 25-14, 25-18 with Ally Tribe picking up her fifth double-double with 14 kills and 17 digs, and Gaines picking up her seventh double-digit kill match with 12.
Tribe recorded a career high of five service aces in the Roadrunners 25-15, 25-2, 25-13 win over UT Arlington and UTSA defeated Prairie View A&M 25-20, 25-21, 25-18 to round out the weekend
Three players earned all-tournament team, inducing Tribe, Miranda Putnicki and Liberty Hill alum Gigi Mason. Tribe was also selected as the tournament MVP. The Road runners extended their win streak to five games and closed out their non-conference record at 7-4. UTSA opens American Conference play against Tulsa on Friday.
Texas State closes non-conference schedule
Texas State had a good showing this past weekend at the Stanford Classic against two ranked opponents. The Bobcats dropped the opener in four sets to UCLA , 25-19, 20-25, 25-22, 28-26. Nina Moorer led the team with 13 kills along with Jade Defraeye adding 11 kills with 7 blocks. Their efforts combined with the 41 assists from Anna Blaine helped the Bobcats rally the Bruins in the fourth set but coming up just short.
The Bobcats faced No. 4 Stanford in their second match of the tournament. Moorer lead the team with nine kills, Blaine had 24 assists, while Vandegrift alum Sam Wunsch and Bailey Hanner had two blocks each. Despite the efforts, Stanford defeated the Bobcats 25-20, 25-15, 25-18.
Texas State picked up a 25-15, 25-20, 19-25, 25-22 win over Hawaii in the final game of the tournament. Moorer led with 13 kills, while Defraeye added seven kills and four blockes while Hanner added five blocks.
Texas State (5-6) will open Sun Belt Conference play Friday and Saturday against Louisiana. Friday’s match is scheduled for 6 p.m., while Saturday’s contest is slated to start at 1 p.m.
This week’s Power 5
| RK | TEAM | RECORD | LW |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Texas | 8-0 | 1 |
| 2. | SMU | 8-2 | 2 |
| 3. | TCU | 10-2 | 3 |
| 4.. | UTEP | 10-2 | 4 |
| 5. | Texas A&M | 8-2 | 5 |
Others: Baylor (6-3), North Texas (10-2), Texas Tech (8-4), UTSA (7-4), Houston (7-4).
