Follow along for live scores and updates from a NCAA Tournament first-round match between the Texas Longhorns and the Indiana Hoosiers.
The Hoosiers are hitting just .167 for the match against a scrappy Texas defense that has gotten better blocking as the season wears on. Torrey Stafford has four total blocks and the Longhorns have six as a team. Texas leads 1-0.
Front court or back, Texas setter Ella Swindle keeps finding Torrey Stafford. And she’s delivering with 10 kills on 12 swings and no errors. Texas leads 1-0.
The Hoosiers showed some grit, but Texas leads wire to wire while winning the first set. Torrey Stafford, the Longhorns’ kills leader for the season, powers Texas with six kills on eight swings without an error. A model of efficiency, Stafford. Nya Bunton had a big set for Texas with three blocks.
Indiana closed to within 20-18, but a big block from Whitney Lauenstein and Nya Bunton give Texas a crucial point. Lauenstein, the fifth-year senior, had a nice rotation for the Longhorns.
Indiana did indeed win that challenge, and the Hoosiers have rallied behind outside Candela Alonso-Corcelles. Indiana is challenging yet another block violation but they don’t get a second UT point reversed.
Torrey Stafford has taken over this set, and Indiana calls a timeout to try and slow things down. Stafford has the last five points of the match with three kills and two blocks. Indiana is challenging a net call, hoping for a little momentum.
So far, so good for a Texas offense without a hitting error.
A quick kill from Texas middle Ayden Ames, and we’re off in a Sweet 16 match.
The winner of the round-of-16 match between fourth-seeded Indiana and No. 1 Texas will face either No. 3 Wisconsin or No. 2 Stanford Sunday afternoon at a time not yet announced by the NCAA. Wisconsin and Stanford will play at Gregory Gymnasium Friday approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the Longhorns’ match against Indiana.
Where: Gregory Gymnasium in Austin