Texas Longhorns Volleyball: 2026 Season Preview – Big Match vs. Marquette!

What’s Happening? The Big Matchup

Imagine this: Monday night, August 24th, 7:00 PM. The #2 ranked Texas Longhorns walk into the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee (home of the NBA’s Bucks!) to face the Marquette Golden Eagles. This is the finale of a special tournament called the AVCA First Serve.

Watch it on: FS2

Why is this cool?

It’s only the second time ever these two teams play.
Last time (2022), Texas won in a playoff match at home.
This is the very first regular-season meeting—like a "getting to know you" game that counts!

Where Does Texas Stand? (Rankings & Polls)

Think of rankings like a "report card" before school even starts.

Poll / List	Texas Spot	What It Means
AVCA Preseason Coaches’ Poll	No. 2	Coaches think they’re the 2nd best team in the whole country.
Preseason Top 5 Streak	20 Years Straight	Texas has been a "top 5" team for two decades. That’s older than some players!
SEC Preseason Poll	Picked 2nd	In their new conference (the SEC), coaches picked them to finish just behind Kentucky.
First-Place Votes	6 Votes	Six coaches thought Texas should be #1 in the SEC.

ELI5 Definition: AVCA = American Volleyball Coaches Association. They rank teams weekly. SEC = Southeastern Conference, Texas’s new "league" starting this year.

Meet the Superstars: Two "Player of the Year" Candidates

Texas has two players on the watchlist for the best player in the entire country.

1. Torrey Stafford (Senior) – The Veteran Leader

Year: Senior (4th year).
2025 Stats: Led team in kills (516), aces (33), and points (580.5).
Hardware: Two-time First-Team All-American (top 12 players in USA).
Summer Job: Trained with the U.S. Women’s National Team!
Fun Fact: Her sister, Imani, played basketball at Texas and was a WNBA 1st Round Pick!

2. Cari Spears (Sophomore) – The Rising Star

Year: Sophomore (2nd year).
2025 Stats: 358 kills, hit .295 (very efficient!), 3.25 kills per set.
Rookie Awards: Freshman of the Year (Region), Third-Team All-American.
Historic Feat: First Texas freshman ever to win National Player of the Week.
Fun Fact: Her brother, Marcus, plays on the Texas Men’s Basketball team!

CALLOUT: WHAT IS A "KILL"?
In volleyball, a kill is when you hit the ball over the net and the other team can’t return it. Point for your team!

The Freshmen: Ready to Shine?

Two freshmen arrive with gold medals already!

Player	Position	Summer Achievement
Henley Anderson	Opposite / Hitter	Gold Medal with U.S. U21 Team at Pan American Cup. Started in the final! Also: Best Opposite at U19 Worlds.
Genevieve Harris	Setter	Gold Medal with U.S. U21 Team. Ran the offense ("quarterback" of volleyball).

ELI5 Definition: Setter = The player who touches the ball 2nd, setting it up perfectly for the hitters. Opposite = A hitter who plays on the right side, often the "go-to" scorer.

Team USA Pipeline: Five Longhorns in Red, White & Blue

Five players wore the USA jersey this summer:

Torrey Stafford – Trained with Senior National Team (The Olympics team!).
Henley Anderson – U21 National Team (Gold Medalists, 5-0 record).
Genevieve Harris – U21 National Team (Gold Medalists).
Taylor Harvey – U21 National Team (Gold Medalists).
Abby Vander Wal – U21 National Team (Gold Medalists).

Why this matters: Playing against the best in the world makes you better. It’s like "leveling up" in a video game before the season starts.

New Leader on Defense: Ramsey Gary

The Situation: Texas lost Emma Halter, a 3-year starter, All-American libero, and now a pro player (Indy Ignite).

The Solution: Ramsey Gary (Senior).

Transferred from Indiana (Big Ten Conference).
Two-time All-Big Ten & Two-time All-Region.
She’s the new Libero (defensive captain in the back row).

ELI5 Definition: Libero = The player in the different colored jersey. They are the defense specialist. They can’t hit the ball above the net, but they are the best at passing serves and digging hard spikes. Think of them as the goalie of volleyball.

Last Year’s Offense: Elite Level

Texas wasn’t just good; they were top 4 in the NATION in three huge categories:

Assists per Set: 3rd (13.78) – Sharing the ball beautifully.
Hitting Percentage: 4th (.315) – Very few errors, very smart swings.
Kills per Set: 3rd (14.75) – Scoring a lot.

SEC Rank: #1 in Hitting %, #2 in Assists & Kills.

The "Gauntlet" Schedule & Road Warriors

Toughest Schedule in America (2025)

Opponents’ combined record: 590 Wins – 269 Losses (.687 winning %).
Texas finished #2 in RPI (a power ranking metric).
Result: 12-4 vs. Ranked teams.

Road Warriors

Last 64 true road matches: 61 Wins – 3 Losses (since 2019!).
SEC Road Record (2025): 13-0 (Perfect!) until a loss at Texas A&M.
Since 2011: 135-24 (.849) on the road. Only 7 losses to unranked teams.

ELI5 Definition: True Road Match = Playing in the opponent’s gym, not a neutral tournament site. It’s hard to win there!

Home Sweet Home: Gregory Gym & Moody Center

Texas fans show up. Period.

55 Straight Sellouts (dating to 2022).
2025 Attendance: 67,149 total fans (15 matches). #5 in Nation.
Average: 4,477 fans/match (#6 in Nation).
Record Crowd: 10,899 vs. Stanford at Moody Center (2025) – State & Program Record!

The "Model of Consistency" (The Resume)

Texas isn’t just good this year. They are good every year.

Streak / Record	Detail
AVCA Top 10 Finishes	20 Straight Seasons (Only D1 team to do this!).
Top 5 Finishes	16 of last 19 years (11 straight from 2008-18).
NCAA Sweet 16 (Regionals)	20 Straight Years (Longest active streak in USA).
Elite 8 (Regional Finals)	19 of last 20 years.
Final Four (Semis)	12 of last 20 years.
National Title Match	8 of last 20 years.

ELI5: Making the Sweet 16 = Top 16 teams. Elite 8 = Top 8. Final Four = Top 4. Title Match = Top 2. Texas does this almost every year.

Pro Horns: 12 Former Players in US Leagues

Volleyball is growing fast in the USA with two new pro leagues: LOVB (League One Volleyball) and MLV (Major League Volleyball).

LOVB (Community-based teams)

LOVB Austin: Bella Bergmark, Juliann Faucette, Molly McCage, Asjia O’Neal, Madisen Skinner
LOVB Atlanta: Saige Ka’aha’aina-Torres
LOVB Miami: Khat Bell
LOVB Nebraska: Regan Rutherford

MLV (City-based franchises)

Atlanta Vibe: Zoe Jarvis
Indy Ignite: Emma Halter (Texas’s former libero!)
Minnesota Forge: Jenna Wenaas
Vegas Thrill: Kayla Caffey

Hall of Honor: Khat Bell

Khat Bell (played 2011-2014) enters the Texas Athletics Hall of Honor (Class of 2026).

3x All-American.
2012 National Champion.
4x Big 12 Champion.
Career: 827 Kills, 436 Blocks.
Pro Career: 10+ years and counting!

The Two-Sport Athlete: Mackenzie Collins

Mackenzie Collins is a Freshman doing something rare:

Volleyball: Playing for Texas.
Track & Field: Hurdler for Texas.
- 2025: Made NCAA Outdoor Championships as a freshman hurdler!
- Talk about speed and jump training helping volleyball!

The Texas Basketball-Volleyball Family Tree

It’s a family affair at Texas!

Volleyball Player	Basketball Connection
Torrey Stafford	Sister Imani McGee-Stafford: 3x All-Big 12, WNBA 1st Round Pick (#10 Chicago Sky), 2016 Honda Inspiration Award.
Cari Spears	Brother Marcus Spears: Freshman on Texas Men’s Basketball team.
Camille Presley	Brother Malik Presley: Played for Texas Men’s Basketball (2024-25).

The "Hawaii to Texas" Pipeline

Since 2007, 8 players have come from Hawaii to the "Forty Acres" (UT Austin campus):

Sydney Yogi (08-11)
Sarah Palmer (10-13)
Kat Brooks (12-15)
Jhenna Gabriel (18-21)
Saige Ka’aha’aina-Torres (21-22)
Keonilei Akana (22-24)
Devin Kahahawai (22-25)
Rella Binney (24-Present)

Summary: Why Texas is Scary Good in 2026

Elite Returners: Two National POY Candidates (Stafford, Spears).
Proven System: 20 straight Top 10 finishes, 20 straight Sweet 16s.
Elite Offense: Top 4 nationally in hitting, kills, assists.
Battle Tested: Played #1 toughest schedule, 61-3 on road recently.
USA Pipeline: 5 players with National Team experience this summer.
Home Fortress: 55 straight sellouts, record crowds.
New Pieces Fit: All-American transfer Libero (Gary), Gold Medal Freshmen.

FAQ: Your Burning Questions Answered

1. What does "RV Marquette" mean?

RV stands for "Receiving Votes." It means Marquette didn’t make the Top 25 rankings, but some coaches voted for them—they’re "knocking on the door" of being ranked.

2. What is the "AVCA First Serve" tournament?

It’s a season-opening showcase event organized by the coaches’ association. It features high-profile matches in cool venues (like an NBA arena!) to kick off the college volleyball season with a bang.

3. Why is Texas playing in an NBA arena (Fiserv Forum)?

To grow the sport! Playing in a pro basketball arena allows more fans to attend, creates a unique atmosphere, and puts the match on national TV (FS2). It’s a "neutral site" game—neither team’s home gym.

4. What conference is Texas in now?

The SEC (Southeastern Conference). They moved from the Big 12 starting in the 2024-25 academic year. This is their second volleyball season in the SEC. They were picked 2nd in the preseason poll.

5. How can I follow the team all season?

Watch: Matches on ESPN networks, SEC Network, ESPN+.
Stats/Live: TexasSports.com (official site) or StatBroadcast.
Social: @TexasVolleyball on X (Twitter), Instagram, TikTok.
Home Matches: Gregory Gym (classic vibe) & Moody Center (big events).

Go Horns! The 2026 season starts now in Milwaukee!

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