'It's easy to take for granted': Texas wins a share of another Big 12 volleyball title

At one point Wednesday night, Texas' Madisen Skinner went for a kill.

The sophomore outside hitter's attempt caromed off a Kansas player and appeared destined to land out of bounds, but the ball instead bounced off a banner in Gregory Gym. The Jayhawks were able to track down the ball, and the rally continued.

That wayward volleyball was a subtle reminder of Texas' dominance over the Big 12. That banner had been hung to celebrate a few of the 14 conference championships the Longhorns had won.

Well, make that 15.

Skinner's 16 kills and 10 digs led No. 1 Texas to a 25-16, 25-18, 26-24 sweep of Kansas on Wednesday night, clinching at least a share of the Longhorns' 15th Big 12 title. Texas (20-1, 13-1) can secure the conference crown outright if it wins either of its final two regular-season matches or if No. 15 Baylor loses either of its final two. The Longhorns and Bears will play Saturday in Austin.

"At this program, it's what we expect to do," Texas coach Jerritt Elliott said. "It's easy to take for granted, but to be able to win 16 games is hard, and to go through this and the emotional ups and downs that you have between 18- and 22-year-olds is difficult. They've worked hard all year long, so they deserve that.

"We're going to celebrate it and make sure there's some joy to it," he continued. "Because we've got this one and maybe one more, two more left, and then we'll be gone from the Big 12, so let's keep winning ❜em."

Back in September, Texas opened conference play with a trip to Kansas. The Jayhawks stunned the Longhorns by taking the first two sets, but the Horns stormed back for a 3-2 win.

Only a partial rally was needed this time.

In the opening set, five Longhorns registered between two and five kills. After outhitting Kansas .389 to .172 in the first set, Texas dipped to .289 in the second set. The Jayhawks, though, also dipped to .156.

In the third set, Kansas scored eight of the first 12 points, forcing Elliott to use a timeout. The Jayhawks' lead soon swelled to 13-7.

The Longhorns clawed back, however, tying the Jayhawks on three occasions and then pulling ahead 23-19. A 5-0 Jayhawks run put Kansas on the brink of forcing a fourth set, but an attacking error and two kills from Texas' Asjia O'Neal ended the match.

"We knew they weren't just going to roll over and give up," Skinner said. "It was just a matter of us taking a deep breath."

Playing six rotations Wednesday, Skinner registered her second straight double-double. Logan Eggleston added 12 kills to the Texas stat sheet, and Molly Phillips had nine.

Texas also got eight kills and four blocks from middle blocker Kayla Caffey. An All-American at Nebraska last season who transferred to Texas in August, Caffey has come on strong lately. She's hit at least .500 with a minimum of five kills in three of UT's last four matches.

"I definitely feel when I first got here, I was kind of in a whirlwind of everything going on; just like transferring and everything, it was just a lot," Caffey said. "It was hard to get back into my ways. It feels really good to be back. It helps that my teammates are super supportive of me, and I just feel like we're growing and getting better as the season goes on."

Saturday's match against Baylor will be Texas' senior night. The Bears are coming off a four-set win over Iowa State. Texas will close its regular season with a trip to West Virginia next Wednesday. Since a 3-2 loss at Iowa State on Oct. 19, the Longhorns have won seven straight matches. During that stretch, Texas has swept five opponents and dropped just one set at Kansas State. Texas also was awarded a forfeit victory against TCU.

"I would not say we're at the climax yet, but we're close," Caffey said. "I still think we have a little bit more to give."

Notes: Texas has sold out it last seven home matches; Wednesday night's crowd was announced at 4,679. ... Kansas (17-9, 7-7) received 10 kills apiece from Anezka Szabo and Ayah Elnady. ... Senior libero Zoe Fleck had 13 digs to lead the Texas defense.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas volleyball sweeps Kansas, clinches share of the Big 12 title