 "Photo: Derek Stout/The Daily Texan")
The Texas freight train that easily plowed through opponents all season long came to a screeching halt Wednesday night with a loss in Ames, Iowa.
But Destinee Hooker isn’t panicking, and neither should you.
More than one year after their last regular-season loss, the Longhorns experienced the sour taste of defeat in a five-set heavyweight bout between top-10 teams. Sure, the undefeated season has been thrown out the window, but call it a blessing.
First off, in college volleyball, a loss means about as much as an optional homework assignment. Just as in college basketball, the championship tournament format doesn’t care about a measly regular-season loss. College football is the only sport in which a loss can damn a team for all eternity. Landing a top seed and winning the national championship are what Head Coach Jerritt Elliott cares about, and so should you.
“Sure, we’d love to have an undefeated season, and it’d be a lot of fun, but we try not to think about it too much,” Elliott said earlier in the season. “We just take things one match at a time.”
The championship is what this Texas team wants, and the loss doesn’t hurt its chances in the least. Believe it or not, losing actually improved Texas’ odds. Of the 28 NCAA volleyball national champions, only four had perfect seasons. That means one in seven teams was undefeated, and six of seven knew what it felt like to lose.
Texas had played so well for so long that it had grown too comfortable in its position. Heading into Ames, the Horns weren’t just 18-0 in their matches; they also had a ridiculous record of 54-5 in sets.
Senior setter Ashley Engle said it best when she described the last time Texas was bested in the regular season.
“It’s definitely not a good feeling,” Engle said. “But it’s one game, and if this defines our entire season, then we’re not the team I thought we were.”
This year’s team has played with tremendous poise and confidence. With seasoned veterans leading the way and underclassmen who aren’t easily rattled, Texas won’t change its season goal because of one loss.
“This team is pretty special,” said junior outside hitter Juliann Faucette. “We have a lot of talent, but at the same time, we also have a lot of experience with our seniors and a couple of juniors who have been to last year’s Final Four. It’s a different team than ones I’ve been on before because we’re such a tight unit.”
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