Texas volleyball began its match against the Mississippi State Bulldogs, the Longhorns’ third Southeastern Conference game this season, with a front row kill in the middle. The kill came from sophomore middle blocker Mackenzie Collins, in place of senior Nya Bunton, who has started every match for the Longhorns this season.
Bunton, an offensive leader for the Longhorns, sat out tonight’s match to rest.
Collins took the court for the first time as a starter in the Texas volleyball jersey, recently joining the team this summer. A dual-sport athlete for Texas track and field since her freshman year, Collins recorded five kills, a perfect hitting percentage and a defensive block against the Bulldogs.
“Kenzie’s so funny, we just love her, she’s like ditzy, and she’s competitive,” senior hitter Torrey Stafford said. “We’re just trusting in her and like having confidence because she does all the time in practice. So, it was really fun to have her out tonight.”
Mississippi struggled to respond to Texas’ offensive pressure, as the Longhorns disrupted the Bulldogs’ system. Texas forced Mississippi State into six hitting errors in the first set on the other side of the net. Texas won the set 25-16.
Stafford continued to terminate the ball. She led the Longhorns’ offense throughout the night, hitting .419, and now leads Texas in season kills with 170.
The gym went quiet as freshman hitter Henley Anderson took an attack to her face from the Bulldogs in the middle of the second set; however, she remained in the game. Henderson put on a strong performance for the Longhorns with aggressive outside attacks, placing the ball deep over the Bulldogs’ back row.
“I was really proud of her for taking that hit because she’s gotten hit in the face a lot in practice … she took it like a champ,” Stafford said. “I was really proud of her for that.”
Anderson recorded 12 kills and hit .400. In tonight’s matchup, she was close to surpassing her career-high of 15 kills against the SMU Mustangs from Sept. 9. The Longhorns won the second set 25-21.
“Henley continues to work really hard and get better for us,” Stafford said. “I really love … playing with her.”
Mississippi failed to reverse the offensive pressure and find a consistent rhythm. Texas hitters like sophomore Cari Spears were able to find holes in the back-row defense. Spears recorded nine kills and hit .300.
Even with the strong performance, the Longhorns’ service remains a work in progress. Texas committed 12 service errors, which handed Mississippi State free points.
“We need to get better at serving,” head coach Jerritt Elliott said after the match. “In terms of pressure.”
With tonight’s win, the Longhorns are now 2-1 in conference play after being swept by the Kentucky Wildcats last Sunday.
“I think there are some really good positives … (I think) passing did a nice job today,” Elliott said. “More of the same thing, just being consistent for longer periods of time.”
The Longhorns will take the court again this Sunday against the Alabama Crimson Tide in Gregory Gymnasium at 12 p.m. for their fourth conference game of the season.
