Noise filled Gregory Gymnasium as senior middle blocker Nya Bunton returned to the court in Friday’s matchup against the Auburn Tigers, after previously missing four straight matches due to injury.
Bunton helped revive the team’s rhythm after a rough stretch that included a sweep by the unranked Oklahoma Sooners on Sunday. In Friday’s game, Bunton had seven kills and a .778 hitting percentage.
“Not just (Bunton’s) swing, blocking, communication, she explains what’s coming at us,” head coach Jerritt Elliott said postmatch. “That last block in the last situation… I mean, she’s playing like an All-American right now, so we just got to stay healthy right now.”
The Longhorns had struggled to find a consistent rhythm against Alabama, Arkansas and Oklahoma – all of which Bunton was absent from. Although Texas beat Alabama and Arkansas, the team struggled on the service line and committed many unforced errors on offense.
“I’ve been out for four games… I think that just gives me confidence going into the rest of the season that I still got it,” Bunton said. “For my team, it just gives us confidence that we’re still in this… I’m just excited for what we have.”
Texas’ offense struggled severely against the Sooners. Only two players earned double-digit kills — senior hitter Torrey Stafford and freshman hitter Henley Anderson.
Anderson has been an anchor alongside Stafford. Tonight, she recorded ten kills and a .364 hitting percentage. The freshman continues to grow every match and find comfort after filling in for sophomore hitter Abby Vander Wal, who is out for the season with an ACL tear.
Another freshman making an impact this season is freshman setter Genevieve Harris, who saw more of the court Friday night. In most matches this season, Harris has come in as a serving specialist for the Longhorns. She ran the Texas offense from both the front and back rows, alongside junior setter Rella Binney, recording 12 assists.
“We got into a little bit more of a dub sub,” Elliot said about running a new lineup with the setters in tonight’s game. “A lot of that’s because of what (sophomore hitter Addy Gaido) has been able to bring to the court… helps us out with our blocking on the right side, and Genevieve’s been setting a lot better lately in the last couple of weeks.”
Against Auburn, Gaido recorded five kills and a .400 hitting percentage. She has provided consistent performance for the Longhorns since stepping up in the midst of sophomore hitter Cari Spears’ offensive struggles against Arkansas on Oct. 9.
“(Gaido) is awesome right now… she’s playing really well for us,” Elliot said. “She has a lot of positive touches, and it’s really nice because we need that.”
Texas returns to Gregory Gymnasium on Sunday at 7:30 pm to face the No. 7 Florida Gators, who are 4-1 in conference play and are coming off a win against the Texas A&M Aggies at College Station.
“We’re about 10 errors a game, that’s too many,” Elliot said. “That’s what we got to do: keep the energy going.”
