Texas State volleyball (27-7 overall, 15-1 Sun Belt) lost 3-0 (25-11, 25-11, 25-21) against the No. 2 University of Texas Longhorns (20-0 overall, 14-0 Big 12) on March 16.
This was a rematch of the March 8 contest where Texas State lost in straight sets at the Longhorns’ home court. 
Despite the change in venue, the Bobcats were unable to keep up with the Longhorns’ energy throughout the majority of the match.
To start the first set, the Longhorns quickly got on top finding opportunities for aggressive swings that the Bobcats struggled to dig. The Bobcats’ first four points were all scored off of Longhorn hitting or service errors.
As the set progressed, the Bobcats found more issues in their hitting only being able to score three kills compared to UT’s 19. The Bobcats only scoring one point in the final rallies of the set, lost 25-11.
Moving into the second set, the Bobcats were able to find greater success in their defense pushing the Longhorns into longer rallies. Junior outside hitter Janell Fitzgerald sparked the Bobcats’ run cutting the point deficit and taking the lead 8-7.
A Longhorn timeout brought them back into the game to take the lead again. The Bobcats stayed close with digs from junior libero Kayla Granado but were unable to handle out-of-system balls later in the set. The Longhorns went on a 13-0 run to win the second set 25-11.
The Bobcats sparked momentum in the third set as they worked to tie the score 17-17 off an 8-4 run, forcing UT to take a timeout. Seven of those points came from kills, three of which were from junior outside hitter Kenedi Rutherford.
The Longhorns made their way up to match point with kills by junior outside hitter Logan Eggleston and freshman opposite Skylar Fields. With a final service ace, they captured the third set 25-21 and completed the 3-0 sweep.
UT was dominant with 53 total kills on a .419 hitting percentage and held the Bobcats to only 21 kills on a .067 hitting percentage.
Eggleston led with a double-double night with 14 kills (.345) and 13 digs. Fields followed in total kills with 12 (.550). The Longhorns served six aces, three from junior setter Jhenna Gabriel.
Fitzgerald scored her 1000th career kill in the first set and made four more throughout the match. Sophomore outside hitter Lauren Teske led the Bobcats with six kills (.115).
Teske also led the team with nine digs, followed by senior setter Brooke Johnson with seven. Junior setter Emily DeWalt finished the match with 14 assists, five digs and an ace.
The Bobcats will be back at home to take on Texas Christian University at 1 p.m. on March 18. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.