Nwanebu provides huge spark off bench for UT
Senior hitter gets two blocks, five kills in road victory.
Texas outside hitter Ebony Nwanebu came off the bench Wednesday night to provide a spark in the 25-20, 25-18, 25-15 volleyball romp at Texas A&M.
Nwanebu registered two blocks and recorded five kills on 14 swings, including the clinching kills in the second and third sets.
UT’s 74th victory in 97 tries against the Aggies came five days after the Longhorns were beaten in four sets by No. 1 Minnesota. Nwanebu had 10 error-less swings in the first set of that match, but recorded no kills. She didn’t return after being replaced in the second set by Yaazie Bedart-Ghani, whom Nwanebu has battled with for playing time this fall.
Texas coach Jerritt Elliott said Nwanebu “took some good swings the last match as well, she just didn’t score.” Elliott predicted Nwanebu would continue to improve this season. The 6-foot-4 senior from Fairview also is looking forward.
An All-American honoree at both Texas and USC, Nwanebu is averaging 2.24 kills per set. She led the Big 12 in hitting percentage last year and has only three attacking errors on 100 attempts.
Home-course advantage: UT’s cross- country team was set to host the Texas Invitational on Thursday night. The race was a 6-kilometer run for the men and a 4-kilometer competition for the women, and it was to be held at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock. That’s also the site of the Big 12’s championship meet on Oct. 28.
UT coach Brad Herbster said this would be his team’s first trip to Old Settlers Park this season, although the Longhorns will get to practice there a few times in the upcoming weeks. So, Texas will have a home-field advantage come late October, right?
Hold your horses, Herbster said. The collegiate course at Old Settlers Park is laid out in a 2-kilometer loop. (The men will run four laps at the Big 12 meet, while the women will run three.) The short design makes for a basic scouting report.
“What it is is what it is,” Herbster said. “There’s not a lot of hills on it. There might be a nook or cranny somewhere you can pick up a meter or 2 meters or five seconds or 10 seconds. That’s why we’re excited to race it and see where those hidden gems are.”
Conference tune-up: Following a 7-0 start to its season, UT’s soccer team is ranked 21st in this week’s United Soccer Coaches poll. With ranked teams awaiting on its Big 12 schedule, coach Angela Kelly was pleased with the Longhorns’ performance this past weekend.
On Friday, UT posted a 3-0 win over a Colorado team that was ranked 25th. Two days later, UT handed Northeastern a 3-2 overtime loss; Northeastern is only 5-3, but the Huskies did win the Colonial Athletic Association’s championship last year.
Texas hosts Iowa State and West Virginia next weekend.