LOUISVILLE, Ky. — When Oregon volleyball takes the court tonight against the Texas Longhorns, they will see a familiar sight on the other side of the net.
Similar to Penn State, the top seed the Ducks just vanquished, the Longhorns are a tall, physically imposing squad; Texas has nine players are on their roster listed at 6-foot-1 or taller. Also, similar to the match against the Nittany Lions, Oregon is smaller and will probably be a slight underdog once again.
Leading the offensive charge for the athletic Texas side is 6-foot-3 outside hitter Bailey Webster. Webster, an All-American from Baltimore, has had quite the career since her arrival in Austin. She committed to Texas after being heralded as the No. 1 recruit in the nation out of high school, and as a freshman was named to the 2009 All-Big 12 Freshman Team. @@http://www.texassports.com/sports/w-volley/mtt/webster_bailey00.html@@
The following year Webster’s season was over before it began as a knee injury forced her to use a medical redshirt.
However, the next year she returned in peak form and was named to the 2011 AVCA All-America first team. In addition to this accolade, Webster was also named the 2011 Big 12 Player of the Year, the fifth player in Texas volleyball history to win the award.
Stalking the outside lines of the volleyball court, Webster has had an impressive tournament. She has led the team in kills in every match since tournament play began and netted 18 kills to help Texas get by the Michigan Wolverines in five sets to advance to their fourth title game in five years.
The Ducks have had a stellar tournament run themselves thus far and are now within three sets of taking home their first national championship in program history.
However, Bailey Webster and the Texas Longhorns have other ideas. In order for Oregon to have a shot at taking down Texas, the Ducks will have to contain the offensive power of the talented All-American.