AUSTIN, Texas -- After falling into a two-set deficit, the sixth-ranked Wisconsin volleyball team staged an epic rally on Sunday, battling back to take down No. 2 Texas, 21-25, 24-26, 25-23, 25-21, 20-18, in a five-set thriller at Gregory Gymnasium.
 
"You've got to execute when it's on the line," UW head coach Kelly Sheffield said. "We passed well and we served well when the match was on the line; we hit what they gave us. We didn't get ahead of ourselves and we were just playing it, point by point."
 
After the Longhorns took a commanding lead by sweeping the first two sets, the Badgers made it clear at the start of the third that they were not going down without a fight.
 
Texas went on an 8-2 run, scoring five consecutive points, to take the 9-5 lead, but Wisconsin battled back point by point through four lead changes and eight ties, up to 23-23. Texas hoped a timeout would slow the Badgers' momentum after kills from Bates and Williams put UW at match point, but Bates responded by putting away another kill to keep UW alive in the match.
 
The teams traded runs in the start of the fourth set, with the Badgers falling behind 4-1 before taking the lead 5-4. Haleigh Nelson served her third ace of the match to put UW up 10-8, a lead it would hold onto for the remainder of the set. The Badgers went on a 7-1 tear, taking a 23-16 lead, but a sequence of attack errors helped the Longhorns come within three (23-20). Two kills from Bates won the set, 25-21, and forced a fifth and final frame.
 
The Badgers kept close on UT's heels, fighting back each point with one of their own. Wisconsin was forced to use two timeouts during a 6-3 run that gave the Longhorns a 12-9 advantage in a set played to 15 points. Texas freshman Micaya White put away a kill to put UT in match-point position, but the Badgers fended off the attack three times to tie the set 14-14. The teams went back and forth all the way to 18-18, until a Texas error and a Badgers block sealed the 20-18 set victory and the 3-2 match win for Wisconsin.
 
"Any time you're in those battles, those are good," Sheffield said. "You learn about each other, and we responded."
 
Wisconsin (7-1) narrowly outhit Texas (8-2), posting a .220 hitting percentage (63 kills - 26 errors - 168 attempts) while the Longhorns hit .210 percent (64-29-167). Three Badgers recorded double-figure kills, led by freshman Molly Haggerty with 20. Junior Kelli Bates posted 15 kills, followed by sophomore Tionna Williams with 11.
 
Senior Lauren Carlini recorded 54 assists and added 11 digs, setting a Wisconsin record with her 62nd career double-double. Bates led the team with 15 digs, Haggerty recorded 14 and freshman M.E. Dodge saved 12. The Badgers out blocked Texas, 15-11, as Williams registered a match-high eight blocks, followed by senior Haleigh Nelson with seven and Carlini with six.
 
During the match, Nelson became only the seventh Badger to record 500 career blocks.
 
"It's just putting the pieces together," Sheffield said. "Early on, our passing and offense struggled a little bit and in game two we had a lot of service errors, but we just kind of kept chipping away.
 
"It was a balanced team effort."
 
Texas locked up the first set, 25-21, as both programs struggled offensively in the period. UW was held to a .000 hitting percentage while the Longhorns hit .233 percent (11-4-30). Texas eventually took its 2-0 match lead by winning the second set, 26-24.
 
"We just showed a lot of fight and we grew from a week ago," Sheffield said. "That's what we're wanting to see, us continuing to want to get better -- and you want that to catapult you into Ohio State in about five days."
 
Wisconsin now returns home to open Big Ten play, facing No. 19 Ohio State on Friday before meeting Maryland on Saturday. Both matches are set for 7 p.m. starts at the UW Field House.