The BYU women's volleyball team had some ups and downs this weekend on the road, winning at Air Force on Wednesday and losing to No. 3 Texas on Friday in three sets 25-11, 25-16, 25-19.

The Longhorns, of the Big 12 Conference, improved to 16-2 overall on the season with the defeat over the Cougars at Gregory Gymnasium in Austin, Texas.

BYU improved in each set against the Longhorns, scoring more points as the match progressed.

"I was encouraged to see how we responded after losing the first two sets," BYU coach Shay Goulding said in a news release. "We came out swinging in the third set and we showed a definite difference in our energy level."

However, with 2,241 Texas fans in attendance, the Cougars weren't able to overthrow the powerful Longhorns. The win for Texas was the team's 10th straight overall and the 23rd consecutive victory at home.

Texas jumped to a 7-1 lead against BYU early in set one and never looked back. Texas' All-American Destinee Hooker put down a couple of kills that ended the Cougar fight. Texas is ranked No. 1 in hitting percentage in the Big 12.

Sets two and three ended up just like the first, with the Longhorns dominating the Cougars.

BYU put up more resistance in each set, taking an early 4-1 lead in the second, and held the advantage on several occasions, even fighting to the end before the Longhorns pulled away with the wins.

"I was pleased with the leadership of Bryn (Porter) tonight," Goulding said. "She really came out swinging in the third set. Kayla (Walker) also played well and continues to provide us with very consistent play."

Porter paced the Cougars with 11 kills, joining Hooker as the only two players to record double-digit kills. Hooker put down a match-best 13 kills from her outside position with only one hitting error for a .600 attack percentage.

The Longhorns had a .345 hitting percentage as a team compared to BYU's .105 success rate. Texas also outdid the Cougars in digs with 29 compared to BYU's 26.

Porter leads the Cougars in double figures in kills, making it 12 times this season. Fellow outside hitter Walker added seven while Christina Measom contributed five kills from her right-side position. With Texas putting up a triple block against the BYU middle, Rachel Dyer and Ashton Hansen Hosford were each limited to one kill a piece.

The Cougars (10-9) return to Mountain West play next week as they host TCU on Friday and New Mexico on Saturday at the Smith Fieldhouse, ready to begin the second half of league play.



Copyright Brigham Young University 27 Oct 2008