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AUSTIN, Texas – No. 14 Texas Volleyball used an epic rally to defeat Ole Miss in five sets, 26-28, 27-25, 25-23, 21-25, 17-15 on Senior Day on Saturday. was developed. Gregory Gymnasium.
The Longhorns (18-6, 13-3) trailed 13-7 in the fifth set before coming back with an epic rally and sending out five seniors with a victory. Kionirei Akana, Thor Franklin, Regan Rutherford, Madisen Skinner and Jenna Wenas all played in the final home game of the regular season on Saturday.
Texas had five players reach double-digit kills as Averi Carlson spread out the attack. She recorded a double-double with 58 assists and 15 goals.
Devin Kahawai started his career match during Skinner’s illness and finished with 19 kills, 10 digs and a .312 batting average. Regan Rutherford had 16 kills and Jenna Wenas finished with 13 kills.
Both middle blockers had career highs, with Marianna Singletary having 12 kills and five blocks and Aiden Ames having 11 kills and five blocks.
Emma Holter led the back line with 18 goals, while Kionilei Akana scored 11 goals.
Ole Miss won the first set 28-26 as the Rebels hit .375 in the set. Both teams had efficient offenses in this set, with Texas hitting .364. Rutherford and Kahawai both had five kills in the set.
Texas led for most of the second set, but Ole Miss increased the lead to 17-12 before the Longhorns came back. Singletary did her best to help Texas rally, contributing five kills in the set and tying the score at 24-all. From there, the Longhorns won 27-25, and the match was tied at one set apiece.
The third set was a back-and-forth affair, with the Longhorns winning 25-23 and taking the lead for the first time in the match.
Texas led 21-20 in the fourth set and had a chance to close out the match. However, Ole Miss ended the fourth set on a 4-0 run, sending the match into a fifth set.
Ole Miss jumped out to a lead in the fourth set, taking an early 8-3 lead before Texas went on a 4-0 run to cut it to 8-7. However, the Rebels quickly fought back and extended their lead to 13-7. Texas then made an epic comeback, avoiding five match points and closing out the match on a 10-3 run.
Texas will now turn to the NCAA Selection Show, which airs on ESPN on Sunday at 5pm CT, to determine its seeding for the tournament.
