Senior hitter Torrey Stafford continues to terminate the ball and lead the way for Texas volleyball.
The No. 9 Longhorns earned their fourth Southeastern Conference win tonight against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Barnhill Arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Stafford recorded a season-high 29 kills and reached 1,500 career kills in tonight’s matchup.
Arkansas dominated the first set through its blocking, led by senior middle blocker Layla Smith and sophomore middle blocker Aleki Alexander. Together, they recorded six blocks in the first set.
The front row defense pressured the Longhorns’ offense, forcing many hitting errors on the outside and right side. Texas committed nine hitting errors compared to the Razorbacks’ two. Arkansas won set one 25-22.
“I mean, I think that altogether we just played cleaner and got back to Texas volleyball,” Stafford said. “Arkansas played us really good in the first set and throughout the match, but we just stayed focused on our side and regrouped.”
In response, the Longhorns lineup looked different for the rest of the match. Off the bench, sophomore hitter Addy Gaido subbed for sophomore hitter Cari Spears on the right side. This is Gaido’s fourth appearance on the court this season.
Gaido made an immediate impact for the Longhorns, earning a kill. She helped create momentum in the front row, keeping the ball in play during the tight second set. She terminated the ball on set point, securing the second set for Texas, 29-27. Gaido finished the night with 12 kills and one error. She had a .579 hitting percentage.
Alongside Gaido’s consistent performance, Stafford continued to swing and score for Texas from both the front and back row. Stafford proves every match why she is the Longhorns’ starting outside hitter. Through her attack placement and aggressive back-row attacks, she is an intense threat to opposing teams.
For most of the night, the Razorbacks triple-blocked Stafford every time she attempted a back-row attack. Still, Stafford managed to score. Stafford finished the night with a .348 hitting percentage.
“I didn’t even know that,” Stafford said when she learned about her career-highs post-game. “I mean, I’m just grateful to be here and be with my teammates. (Junior setter Rella Binney) had some juice tonight, so it was really good and fun to be a part of.”
Stafford attributed her success tonight to Binney, who has started every match for the Longhorns this season. She recorded a new season-high of 63 assists in tonight’s matchup.
This week, Binney was also named SEC Player of the Week and Setter of the Week — the first weekly honors of her career. Alongside Binney, Stafford was named SEC Co-Offensive Player of the Week, and freshman hitter Henley Anderson earned her first weekly honor as SEC Freshman of the Week.
This marks Texas’ third consecutive win in the SEC this season, and they are now 4–1 in conference play.
The Longhorns will play next against the Oklahoma Sooners on Sunday at McCasland Field House in Norman, Oklahoma.
