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COLLEGE STATION, Texas – No. 8 Texas Volleyball ushered in a new era of Southeastern Conference play with a 3-1 win over Texas A&M on Friday, 25-16, 14-25, 25-23, 25-20. Ta. A record crowd of 9,236 attended Reed Arena.
The Longhorns (6-3, 1-0) picked up their first SEC win and the Longhorns’ first win at the Cotton Holdings Lone Star Showdown.
Devin Kahawai had another big match with 11 total kills, but took over in the fourth set. In the fourth set, she alone had six kills and an ace to seal the victory. Kahawai hit .304 in the game and added five digs and three blocks.
Regan Rutherford and Madisen Skinner also had 11 kills each to share the team lead with Kahawai. Jenna Wenners added eight kills, 11 digs, three assists and two aces.
Marianna Singletary was the team’s top blocker with four total blocks and added seven kills on just 12 swings.
The Longhorns got off to a great start in the first set, winning 25-16. Texas hit .323 as a team, holding the Aggies to a .057 batting average. Wenas was outstanding in the first set, recording five kills on just nine swings.
Texas A&M started the second set very well, jumped out to a big lead and never looked back, taking the set 25-14.
After trailing 9-7 in the third set, the Longhorns went on an impressive 10-2 run to take a 17-11 lead. The Aggies quickly fought back and chipped away at the lead with an 11-5 run to tie the set at 22-all. Despite it being very close, Texas was able to win the set 25-23, regaining the lead in the match.
Kahawai took the fourth set with five kills and a match-winning ace. The teams were tied at 13-all, but Texas went on a 5-1 run to take an 18-14 lead. The Aggies trailed late, but the Longhorns finished with a 3-0 run to seal the victory.
Texas continues its SEC opener road trip, traveling to Baton Rouge to face LSU on Sunday at 2 p.m.
