The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Wright State
No. 4 Volleyball preview: NCAA Second Round
04.14.2021 | Volleyball
As the No. 4 overall seed, the Longhorns earned a first-round bye and will face either Samford or Wright State in the second round on Thursday.
No. 4 Texas vs. Wright State
Texas: 23-1, 16-0 | Wright State: 17-1, 14-0
Thursday, April 15, 2021 – 6 p.m.
Chi Health Center Arena | Omaha, Nebraska
Stream: ESPN3
Texas all-time series vs. Wright State: No previous meetings
Last Texas Win: No previous meetings
Tournament talk
• Texas has advanced to 12 NCAA Semifinals, 24 NCAA Regional finals, and 31 NCAA Regional semifinals (round of 16) in program history.
• Texas has registered a 97-34 (.740) all-time record in 36 NCAA Tournament appearances. The Longhorns rank fourth in NCAA Division I history in NCAA Tournament wins (97) and fourth in winning percentage (.740).
• UT also ranks sixth all-time in NCAA Tournament appearances (36). Texas advanced to 18-consecutive NCAA Tournaments (1982-99) and is now on a streak of 17-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances (2004-20).
• The Longhorns have won a total of three National Championships in program history. UT captured the AIAW National Championship in 1981 and also won NCAA Championships in 1988 and 2012.
• UT is one of two teams that has reached the NCAA Round of 16 fourteen times in the last 16 seasons. Penn State is the only other school to accomplish the feat.
Championship Pedigree
After clinching the 2020 Big 12 title, the Longhorns have now won 26 conference championships, including 13 Big 12 titles and 13 Southwest Conference Championships. The 2020 title is the fourth-straight Big 12 Championship for the Longhorns, who have won or shared nine of the last 10 league championships and 12 of the previous 14.
All-Big 12 Volleyball Accolades
Logan Eggleston was named the Big 12 Conference Player of the Year, while Jhenna Gabriel was named the league's Setter of the Year. Head coach Jerritt Elliott was named Big 12 Coach of the Year for the seventh time in his career. Seven total Longhorn players landed on the All-Big 12 teams, as Eggleston and Gabriel were joined by Brionne Butler, Skylar Fields and Asjia O'Neal on the first team. Molly Phillips was a second-team honoree and Nalani Iosia landed on the All-Rookie team. Eggleston is the Longhorns' 12th Player of the Year honoree. Eggleston, Butler, Fields and O'Neal were unanimous All-Big 12 selections.
Most Efficient Team In The Nation
As a team in 2019, Texas hit .325 on the season, to lead the nation. That mark was also tied for fourth-best in Longhorn history, matching the percentage hit in 2012. So far during the 2020-21 season, Texas is fourth in the nation at a clip of .333. The trio of Brionne Butler, Asjia O'Neal and Molly Phillips are the top three hitters in the Big 12. Butler is hitting .414, while O'Neal is at a .409 clip and Phillips is hitting .369. Logan Eggleston is hitting at a clip of .332, while Skylar Fields is hitting .320. All five of those players rank in the top seven in hitting in the Big 12.
Sharing the Wealth
With five attackers hitting at a very high level, the Longhorns have managed to create a balanced offensive attack. Setter Jhenna Gabriel has been a big part of that, leading the Big 12 and ranking 14th nationally with 11.02 assists per set. Twice this season she has set a career high with 58 assists in a match. Gabriel's 58 assists at Oklahoma on Sept. 25 are third-most in a four-set match this season.
Block Party
The Longhorns rank fourth in the nation in total blocks and second in the Big 12 Conference with a combined 235.5. Brionne Butler leads the nation with 127 total blocks, while Asjia O'Neal (87 blocks) is ranked 26th nationally and fifth in the Big 12 Conference. Butler leads the Big 12 conference and is eighth nationally averaging 1.57 blocks per set. O'Neal is seventh in the conference with a 1.06 blocks per set average and Molly Phillips ranks ninth with an average of 1.00 blocks per set.
Rank and File
UT owns a 121-54 (.691) record against ranked opponents over the last 17 seasons (2004-20) and boasts a 57-12 (.826) home mark against ranked opponents at Gregory Gymnasium (54-12) and the Frank Erwin Center (3-0) during that span. In the 2020-21 season, Texas is 8-0 against ranked opponents and 3-0 against them at home.
BY THE NUMBERS
0 NCAA Tournament First Round losses. Texas is a perfect 33-0 in NCAA Tournament First Round play.
2 Number of schools to go undefeated in sets throughout an entire NCAA Championship Tournament. Texas accomplished this feat first in 1988, completing the perfect run with a 3-0 sweep of Hawaii in the Championship to win its first NCAA title. Washington compiled 18 straight wins in games en route to the 2005 title.
3 Number of schools outside of California to claim the NCAA National Championship title. Texas first accomplished this feat in 1988, followed by Nebraska (1995, 2000, 2006, 2015, 2017) and Penn State (1999, 2007-10, 2013-14).
13 NCAA Tournament Semifinal appearances by Texas
20 NCAA Tournament Regional matches hosted by Texas
24 NCAA Tournament Regional Championship appearances by Texas
33 NCAA Tournament Regional Semifinal appearances by Texas
36 NCAA Tournament appearances by Texas, the seventh-best total in NCAA Division I history
97 NCAA Tournament wins by Texas (97-34), the fourth-best total in NCAA Division I history
