AUSTIN – Northwestern State showcased its patented tenacious defensive play early, grabbing a handful of leads on No. 2 seeded Texas in Round 1 of the 2014 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament but the Longhorns ultimately swept the match (25-22, 25-15, 25-18) at Gregory Gymnasium.

"I'm real proud of the group," fifth-year co-head coach Hugh Hernesman said. "We hadn't played a top 10 type of team in our time here. We are really proud we were able to push them the way we did. I thought we executed okay. I think there was still another level there but I am real happy the way we represented ourselves."

Northwestern State (16-17) held two leads in Set 1 including as late as 14-12 on a Mackenzie Neely kill before Texas grabbed the set, 25-21. Despite losing the set, NSU struck its stride defensively, holding the Horns to a .088 hitting percentage. The Lady Demons were led by senior Stacey DiFrancesco's three kills and defensively, saw eight blocks from six different players.

"The way we've scheduled not just this year but in previous years has this team and the veteran's on this team very prepared," Hernesman said. "We play in some pretty tough venues in the Southland. I like playing Central Arkansas and Stephen F. Austin because they make us better. When they make us better, we can get into an environment like this and perform at a pretty good level."

NSU took an 8-7 lead in Set 2 behind three straight points including a Mackenzie Neely kill but the Longhorns (24-2) upped their hitting percentage to .271 and eventually claimed the set, 25-15. Texas continued to keep the pressure on from the service line, notching two more service aces for a total of five heading into the intermission.

The Lady Demons gave Texas all it could handle once again in Set 3, taking a 13-11 lead on a Neely kill. Texas made it push shortly later behind three straight points to take a 20-15 advantage and force a NSU timeout. A pair of NSU points brought the lead down to three at 20-17 before the Longhorns claimed the set, 25-18 and the match.

"There were tears in the locker room like there always are after the last match of the season but I think the tears for (the seniors) were because they don't get to do this anymore," Hernesman said. "Those four were special players for us. To really prove that you belong in the NCAA Tournament and be able to go out by showing how far they've brought this program, they should be really proud."

Neely led NSU with nine kills, two service aces and an impressive .318 attack percentage. Sophomore libero Bailey Martin finished with 12 digs while redshirt junior Caiti O'Connell and senior Vanessa Coleman each added three blocks.

"We know that the bar has been set," Hernesman said of the NCAA Tournament berth. "In our minds, we're going to prepare to do this every single year. I think that having this experience now helps build that vision and helps build that belief."