For the second straight game, the stage was set. No. 7 Texas stared down at a 2-0 set deficit against the No. 3 team in the nation, with a mountain to climb and a true test of what the Longhorns were able to achieve ahead of them.
This time, however, there was no magic. The surge in energy and the resiliency never showed. Texas fell short of overthrowing the No. 3 Kentucky Wildcats 3-0 on Sunday afternoon.
Texas looked like the team promised at the start of the season for a short flicker at the very beginning of this game and seemed to keep the momentum from its Friday game against Tennessee, stifling Kentucky and pushing out to a 4-0 with two block-assists and a kill from senior middle blocker Nya Bunton. The lead slowly slipped away, though. Texas ended up in a tough battle, trading points with Kentucky before eventually falling 25-23 in the first set.
Since the end of the first set, Texas never seemed to hold the upper hand in the game again. The Wildcats were able to put the Longhorns on the defensive, with a six-point run in the second set and a five-point run in the third set put Texas in a pair of holes it was unable to dig out of.
“I think our fans this year have been huge,” Georgia Watson, Kentucky sophomore outside hitter, said on the broadcast. “Fans are showing out, and it’s so cool to see.”
Kentucky handled Texas despite missing junior outside hitter Morgan Gaerte, who missed this game with an eye injury and is not expected to miss much more time. Gaerte has anchored Kentucky offensively throughout the season, already landing 151 kills through 11 games so far for the Wildcats.
Asia Thigpen, Kentucky Junior outside hitter, stepped up to carry the workload in Gaerte’s absence as a dangerous pair with senior outside hitter Brooklyn DeLeye. Thigpen recorded a season-high 15 kills, while DeLeye recorded 11 kills of her own. The two paired to bury Texas with strong attacks that ended sets early.
“I really wanted to work on my passing this year, and then just utilizing my arm, finding ways to swing high off the block,” Thigpen said on the broadcast. “My teammates did a really good job of just inflicting confidence in me, still taking really big swings at the end.”
Texas was able to stay in the game due to blocking dominance up front. Sophomore middle blocker Taylor Harvey led the team with five blocks, while Bunton and junior setter Rella Binney were close behind with four each. The offense struggled to find opportunities against a strong Kentucky defense that had eight blocks itself, but the efforts from the team up front meant that Texas was never truly washed away.
Coming off an already intense non-conference schedule, Texas continues to put themselves in situations to be tested. Despite picking up the loss, the Longhorns fought hard in a tough road environment and can take that experience with them as they continue Southeastern Conference play.
Texas comes back to Austin to take on Mississippi State at Gregory Gymnasium on Friday, Oct. 2, at 6:30 p.m.
