Junior outside hitter Torrey Stafford was unstoppable for the No. 1 seed Texas Longhorns with 19 kills and zero attacking errors to hit .679 on Friday at Gregory Gymnasium in a sweep of the No. 4 seed Indiana
Hoosiers as head coach Jerritt Elliott’s team advanced to the Elite Eight for the 16th straight year.
Stafford added eight digs, four blocks, two assists, and a service error in an impressive all-around performance.
The Longhorns hit .374 overall, buoyed by the unexpected contributions of redshirt senior outside hitter Whitney Lauenstein, who had only played 13 total sets this season and 16 sets over two seasons since transferring from the Cornhuskers. On Friday, Lauenstein helped solidify the Texas block and provided some bite in attack, finishing with six kills and four blocks.
The improved net play was apparent for the Longhorns with a 12-2 edge in blocks as the Hoosiers were limited to a .217 hitting percentage.
Against a young, fast-paced Indiana offense, Texas struggled to defend tips over the front line early in the match, but Stafford got hot, allowing the Horns to play with power through the left side with three straight kills for a 13-8 lead. Texas appeared to extend it to 15-8, forcing an Indiana timeout and a potential turning point in the opening set as a successful challenge reversed a point for the Longhorns.
The challenge allowed the Hoosiers to recover their composure, narrowing the deficit to 15-13 on a service ace before Stafford returned to the match for a big swing and a 20-17 lead. On the right side, Lauenstein came up with her second block assist after taking the court, and the combination of a service error by the Hoosiers and a service ace by Stafford put Indiana on the brink of losing the first set at 23-20, forcing another timeout.
An attack error by Indiana off the serve set up set point, but a service error by Stafford extended it only briefly until freshman outside hitter Abby Vander Wal had a nice reaction save that led to her set-ending kill in a 25-20 win.
The combination of senior libero Emma Halter defensively and Stafford and Spears in attack clearly outshone the quality offered by Indiana even as the Hoosiers managed to maintain some contact with the Longhorns through the first part of the second set — Stafford recorded 12 kills on her first 14 kills, incredible efficiency, helping Texas open up a 15-10 lead. The improved block for the Horns showed up, too, as the outside hitting of the Hoosiers was almost completely negated.
More of the same — good defense at the net and a kill by Stafford that produced set points at 24-19 — put the Horns in position to close the set, but the Hoosiers stayed tough, saving three set points, enough to prompt a timeout by Elliott. The second set ended similarly to the first set, however, this time with Vander Wal fielding a tough serve and delivering a kill ultimately challenged by Indiana and confirmed on review to end the set, 25-22, leaving the Hoosiers without a challenge for the ultimately decisive third set.
In the third set, Texas used a 6-1 run to break open a 5-4 margin keyed by Lauenstein recording two of the four kills during that stretch before the Nebraska transfer added another kill for a 12-7 lead. Then it was Indiana’s time to make a desperate run, scoring eight of 11 points as Texas committed three attacking errors — two by Spears and one by Lauenstein — to tie it at 18-18 and prompt a timeout by Elliott pushing for the sweep. Notably, the Hoosiers were able to find some space and subsequent success in attack.
Lauenstein’s fifth kill reclaimed some momentum for Texas before a strong up from Halter extended a rally that Stafford ended with a kill of her own. A service error by Gary and a kill by Indiana tied it again, but Stafford dropped the hammer from the left side and a block assist on the right side pushed the Hoosiers to the brink, necessitating a timeout.
Back and forth, Indiana traded kills with Stafford before Halter was in the right place to recover a deflected block and set Spears up for a well-placed push kill. With Stafford serving, it felt fitting for Lauenstein, the match’s unexpected star, to finish the sweep with a resounding spike and a 25-22 win.
Sunday’s regional final is against the winner of No. 5 Stanford and No. 10 Wisconsin on Sunday at 2 p.m. Central or 6:30 p.m. Central. The Horns have beaten both teams this season.
