The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Houston
No. 6 Volleyball preview: Houston
09.10.2024 | Volleyball
The Longhorns look to get back in the win column on Wednesday against the Cougars.
No. 6 Texas Volleyball vs. Houston
Texas: 2-2 | Houston: 3-1
Wednesday, Sept. 11 – 8 p.m.
Gregory Gym | Austin, Texas
Television: ESPN2
THE MATCHUPS
Texas and Houston meet for the third-consecutive season after competing as conference foes for one season in 2023. The Longhorns hold a 48-16 overall record against the Cougars, including a 22-4 mark at home. Last season, Texas won a pair of matches over the Cougars in Houston in front of record crowds at the Fertitta Center. The Longhorns' last loss in the series came during the 2000 season.
REIGNING NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
The Longhorns entered the season as the back-to-back National Champions after sweeping Nebraska in the 2023 title match in Tampa, Fla. Texas returns five starters from the title-winning team, including NCAA Final Four All-Tournament team members Madisen Skinner, Ella Swindle and Emma Halter. The 2023 National Championship was the program's fifth after winning the AIAW title in 1981 and NCAA titles in 1988, 2012 and 2022.
PRESEASON RANKINGS
Texas begins the 2024 season as the No. 1 ranked team in the AVCA Preseason Coaches' Poll for the fifth time (2024, 2023, 2021, 2017, 2013). The Longhorns appear in the top four of the AVCA preseason poll for the 18th-consecutive season and are ranked in the top two spots for the 11th time in the last 18 seasons. Texas, who was picked first in the SEC Coaches' Poll, is one of six SEC teams in the top-25 as Kentucky checks in at No. 9, Florida came in at No. 11, Tennessee is ranked 15th, Arkansas is No. 19 and Georgia rounds out the poll at No. 25. In non-conference play, Texas faces four preseason ranked teams – No. 3 Wisconsin, No. 18 Minnesota, No. 5 Stanford and No. 23 Baylor.
PRESEASON AWARDS
Madisen Skinner led a group of four Longhorns named to the Preseason Volleyball All-SEC Team, joining Emma Halter, Ella Swindle and Kentucky transfer Reagan Rutherford. The Longhorns were also selected as the preseason favorite in the SEC Preseason Coaches Poll, marking the 14th- consecutive season that Texas are preseason conference favorites.
SENIOR SKINNER
A three-time National Champion and the 2023 VolleyballMag.com National Player of the Year, Madisen Skinner embarks on her final season of college volleyball in 2024. Last season, Skinner ranked sixth nationally with 4.80 kills per set and seventh with 547 total kills. Her 547 kills were the third-most ever by a Longhorn player and the most since Mira Topic (593) in 2004. Skinner stepped up her play in the postseason, averaging 5.43 kills per set with a .316 hitting percentage and was named the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player.
CONSISTENT SUCCESS
Texas has been the model of consistency for well over a decade now, being the only Division I volleyball program to have ended each of the last 18 seasons ranked in the top 10. The Longhorns have spent each of the last 221 AVCA polls ranked in the top 10, while the last time Texas was not ranked in the top 10 was Oct. 11, 2010. The Longhorns have also finished in the top 5 in 15 of the last 18 seasons, including 11-straight years from 2008-18. Texas also has the nation's longest active streak of NCAA Regional Semifinal ("Sweet 16") appearances with 18-straight. Of the last 18 regional semifinal appearances, the Longhorns have advanced to 17 NCAA Regional Finals, 11 National Semifinals and seven National Championship matches.
CHAMPIONSHIP PEDIGREE
Texas has won 29 conference championships, including 16 Big 12 titles and 13 Southwest Conference Championships. The 2023 title was a record seventh-straight Big 12 Championship for the Longhorns, who won or shared 12 of the last 13 league championships and 15 of the previous 17. Texas departed the Big 12 Conference having won more league championships than any other program.
RANK AND FILE
UT owns a 155-60 (.721) record against ranked opponents over the last 21 seasons (2004-24) and boasts a 71-15 (.826) home mark against ranked opponents at Gregory Gymnasium (68-15) and the Frank Erwin Center (3-0) during that span. The Longhorns went 14-2 last season against ranked opponents.
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
A large part of the Longhorns winning 12 conference championships in the last 13 years has come down to winning at home. Over the last 15 seasons, Texas has produced a 212-15 (.934) record in home matches. In that same span, the Longhorns have gone 114-1 in home league matches. The Longhorns' only home conference loss since 2010 came against Oklahoma on Oct. 25, 2014. Texas has won 76-straight home league matches, dating back to the 2014 season. During that streak, the Longhorns have had 58 sweeps and only dropped a total of 23 sets.
ATTENDANCE
The Longhorns have extended their sell-out streak to 29-straight matches dating back to the 2022 season. Texas ranked fifth nationally last season with an average attendance of 4,495 in 16 home matches. The Longhorns sold out all 16 home matches in 2023 and finished the 2022 season with 12-straight sellouts at Gregory Gym. In the 2022 NCAA Regional Final against Ohio State, Texas set a Gregory Gym attendance record with a crowd of 5,344.
MBU
For more than two decades under head coach Jerritt Elliott, the Longhorns have had a legacy of All-American middle blockers starting with Leticia Armstrong (2003-08) and Brandy Magee (2003-07) before continuing on with Lauren Paolini (2005-08), Rachael Adams (2008-11), Khat Bell (2011-14), Molly McCage (2012-15), Chiaka Ogbogu (2013-17), Brionne Butler (2017-21) and Asjia O'Neal (2019-23). These nine All-American middle blockers earned a total of 25 All-America honors dating back to 2005.
MBU CONTINUED...
Following the graduation of All-American Asjia O'Neal, a trio of young players are prepared to carry on the legacy of great middles blockers at Texas. Ayden Ames is expected to be the Longhorns' first starting true freshman middle since Chiaka Ogbogu in 2013. Redshirt sophomore Marianna Singletary and redshirt freshman Nya Bunton will also play big roles this season. The Longhorns finished third nationally with 2.89 blocks per set last season, with double-digit blocks in 21 of the 32 matches last season.
WINNERS WIN
In just her first two seasons at Texas, Emma Halter has played in all 61 matches during her career and won back-to-back National Championships. As a freshman in 2022, Halter was a defensive specialist and averaged 1.29 digs per set with 21 assists and 12 service aces. Last season Halter was the Longhorns' libero in every match and averaged 3.87 digs per set and added 141 assists and 38 aces. Halter also had maybe her best performance on the biggest stage, as she had 19 digs, seven assists and two aces in the NCAA Semifinal win over Wisconsin.
FIRST YEAR SETTER
Ella Swindle made history in 2024, becoming just the third true freshman setter ever to lead her team to a National Championship and the first since 2016. In the title match against Nebraska, Swindle did it all with 21 assists, seven digs, five kills, two service aces and a block. For the season, Swindle averaged 9.54 assists per set and added 92 total blocks, 227 digs, 96 kills and 30 aces. She was named the AVCA Southwest Region Freshman of the Year and landed on the Big 12 All-Rookie team.
USA VOLLEYBALL HALL OF FAME
Jerritt Elliott, the winningest coach in Texas Volleyball history, joined USA Volleyball's Hall of Fame in 2023. Elliott received USA Volleyball's All-Time Great Coach Award, which recognizes individuals for success and excellence in volleyball coaching over an extended period. With 561 wins at Texas, Elliott surpassed Mick Haley as the winningest coach in Longhorns' history. Elliott also picked up his 600th career win last season and entered the 2023 season with a career record of 611-122.
