No. 8 Texas made a sharp return to Gregory Gym on Friday night, and Mississippi State had no answer for the Longhorns’ offense. In Texas’ first SEC home match of the season, the Longhorns rolled to a 25-16, 25-21, 25-19 sweep and stayed perfect at home at 3-0.
The performance was as efficient as it was forceful. Texas hit a season-high .438 for the match and got even hotter in the third set, when it attacked at .531 to finish off the Bulldogs. Mississippi State, meanwhile, took its first road loss of the season.
Torrey Stafford was the headliner again, finishing with 20 kills on a season-best .419 hitting percentage and adding 13 digs for her fifth double-double of the year. Henley Anderson chipped in 12 kills while hitting a career-best .400, and Cari Spears added nine kills and an ace.
Taylor Harvey gave Texas another clean scoring option, matching her season high with six kills on nine swings and hitting a career-best .667. Rella Binney directed the offense with 39 assists, her fifth straight match with at least 30.
Texas (6-5, 2-1 SEC) had to work to separate in the opening set, but once it did, the Longhorns never let go. A 6-1 burst turned an 8-7 edge into a 14-8 cushion, with Stafford putting down three kills during that stretch. Spears finished the set to give Texas a 1-0 lead.
The second set followed a similar script. Texas built a 13-8 advantage behind three more Stafford kills, and though Mississippi State cut the gap to 21-18, the Longhorns steadied themselves and closed with four of the last seven points. Anderson put away the final kill to push Texas in front 2-0.
Mississippi State (11-2, 1-1 SEC) briefly grabbed its first lead of the match to start the third, but Texas answered quickly and reclaimed control. The Longhorns led 16-14 midway through the frame, stretched it to 19-16, and then Harvey and Stafford helped seal the sweep. Stafford had three kills over the final eight points, and Texas’ best set of the night ended the match at 25-19.
Friday was Texas’ first match back at Gregory Gym since the home opener on Sept. 2.
The 30-day gap between regular-season home matches was the longest between home dates at Gregory Gym during the Jerritt Elliott era. The Longhorns’ previous home match came Sept. 13 at Moody Center.
Texas will stay home for its next match, hosting Alabama on Sunday, Oct. 4 at noon CT at Gregory Gym. The match will stream live on SEC Network+.
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The bigger concern for Oklahoma is how often its offense has put itself in precarious spots, especially with John Mateer at the controls. Turnovers have been a recurring issue, and if Texas can keep forcing hurried decisions while also taking away the Sooners already limited rushing answers, the game could tilt quickly toward the Longhorns in a matchup where hidden mistakes tend to matter just as much as headline plays. [Read more 🡒]