No. 5 Texas beats No. 9 Kansas in Big 12 volleyball showdown

LAWRENCE — The Kansas volleyball program pushed Big 12 giant Texas to five sets. The Jayhawks came up a few points short.

In a match betweent two first-place teams, No. 5 Texas edged No. 9 Kansas three sets to two on Wednesday night at a sold-out Horejsi Family Athletics Center, locking down a victory with conference title implications. The Longhorns, who improved to 21-2 and 11-1 in the Big 12, closed out the match by the score of 20-25, 25-20, 30-28, 22-25, 15-9.

The Jayhawks, in the midst of one of the best seasons in school history, lost for just the second time this year, falling to 22-2 overally and 10-2 in conference play. Both losses are to Texas.

“We just ran out of time,” KU coach Ray Bechard said.

Kansas sophomore setter Ainise Havili finished with a match-high 67 assists, while sophomore Kelsie Payne had a team-high 23 kills. The Longhorns, though, were dominant in the return game, winning 70 percent of the points on the Jayhawks’ serve.

Kansas claimed the first set 25-20, surging ahead behind the steady performance of Havili, who assisted on 14 of Kansas’ 25 points. Like a point guard controlling the offense and tempo, Havili found outside hitters Tiana Dockery and Payne on an assortment of kills. The early display delighted the 1,503 fans in attendance.

But the Longhorns would strike back, taking a 25-20 victory in set two and drawing even at one set apiece. That set the stage for a pivotal and tension-filled third set. The Jayhawks had two set points — leading 26-25 and then 27-26 — but they couldn’t convert. The missed opportunities would sting when Texas closed out the set 30-28.

“The key was not finishing the third set,” Bechard said. “We had some opportunities.”

Kansas didn’t wallow long. The Jayhawks took control early in the fourth set and forced a decisive fifth set with a 25-22 win. But the Jayhawks stumbled early in the final set, and Texas took control.

“We needed to play better in the fifth set,” Bechard said. “Texas played very clean and we didn’t, and then it closed very quick like that.”

This story was originally published November 11, 2015 at 10:14 PM with the headline "No. 5 Texas beats No. 9 Kansas in Big 12 volleyball showdown."