 "Photo: Bryant Haertlein, Daily Texan Staff")
Texas’ win on Wednesday over No. 3 Nebraska was big. The implications of the win may be even bigger.
“To win that game is huge. It had not only the opportunity for us to now, if we win out, be co-champions, which is our goal. But also it had implications of a No. 1 seed,” Texas coach Jerritt Elliott said. “I think it’s going to be pretty hard for the NCAA committee not to give Nebraska and us a No. 1 seed as co-champs if we can take care of our responsibility.”
A second-straight Big 12 co-championship with Nebraska, a No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament in the friendly confines of Gregory Gymnasium all became possibilities after Texas knocked off Nebraska — but only if the team could take care of its responsibility with three wins in the last three games.
“There is a lot of fear for me in terms of making sure there is still a lot of urgency,” Elliott said. “[The win over Nebraska] was just one game and an important game, but it’s no more important than the next match.”
The next match — a showdown with Kansas on Saturday at Gregory Gymnasium — will be the Longhorns’ next step toward the NCAA tournament, where a No. 1 seed and regional home stand are awaiting Texas.
The Jayhawks (12-14, 6-11 Big 12) are struggling and are nowhere near the level of competition Texas has faced in its last two matches with No. 14 Kansas State and No. 3 Nebraska, but with only three matches remaining in Big 12 play, the Longhorns cannot afford to drop a match. An upset loss against either of the the remaining opponents would destroy Texas’ chances of not only a Big 12 title but the always-important No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
Outside hitter Destinee Hooker, who led the Longhorns with 24 kills in the win over Nebraska, 12 of which came in the first set, will need to continue cruising if Texas wants to continue its six-match winning streak.
“She’s just a very special athlete that comes around very rarely. Being a part of the program at Texas, you sometimes are gifted like that,” Elliott said. “You get the Vince Youngs, the Colt McCoys, the Cat Ostermans. You get that a little more often at a university that supports its women athletes so well. She’s breathtaking, and she was a huge player in [Wednesday’s win over Nebraska].”
With a win over Kansas on Saturday, the Longhorns can expect to find themselves ranked No. 3, moving above Nebraska in the next Bison/AVCA poll, joining their football counterparts in the nations’ top three teams. Both teams’ stars, McCoy and Hooker, are in the running for player of the year awards and have their teams in position to make runs at a national championship.
“[The national championship] is what our goal is,” Ashley Engle said. “This is a great team, and we played well. But we still have the Big 12 left, and I think that is what we focus on first. Hopefully, then, when we get to tournament time, we’ll get a good seed and start a new postseason.”
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