The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Creighton
No. 5 Volleyball preview: Opening Spike Classic
08.28.2025 | Volleyball
Texas will face two top 12 ranked opponents in opening weekend of 2025 season
No. 5 Texas Volleyball vs. No. 12 Creighton
Texas: 0-0 | Creighton 0-1
Friday, Aug. 29 – 8:30 pm CT
Kohl Center | Madison, Wisc.
TV: Big Ten Network
No. 5 Texas Volleyball vs. No. 8 Wisconsin
Texas: 0-0 | Wisconsin: 0-0
Sunday, Aug. 31 – 1 pm CT
Kohl Center | Madison, Wisc.
TV: Big Ten Network
The Matchups:
Texas and Creighton meet for just the third time ever. The Longhorns ended its 2024 season against the Blue Jays at the State College Regional with Creighton tying the series at one a piece with a 3-1 win. Texas took the first-ever meeting in the 2016 NCAA Austin Regional Final at Gregory Gymnasium. Texas swept Creighton in that match to advance to the NCAA Final Four.
Texas and Wisconsin will meet for the 12th time with the Longhorns winning the last matchup, 3-1, last September at the State Farm College Volleyball Showcase. Texas has a three-match win streak against the Badgers, including a 3-1 win at the 2023 NCAA National Semifinal.
PRESEASON RANKINGS
Texas begins the 2025 season as the No. 5 ranked team in the AVCA Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Longhorns have been ranked in both the top five in 19 of the past 21 seasons and the top 10 in 20 of the last 21 preseason rankings. Texas, who was picked second in the SEC Coaches' Poll, is one of five SEC teams in the top-25 as Kentucky checks in at No. 7, Texas A&M at No. 9, Florida came in at No. 16, and Missouri is ranked 17th. The season features 11 preseason top 25 teams, including No. 6 Stanford in the home opener at Moody Center on Sept. 6.
ALL-SEC LONGHORNS
Torrey Stafford and Emma Halter were both named to the All-SEC First Team, tied for the second-most selections with LSU and Texas A&M. Kentucky led the league with four selections.
ON STAFFORD WATCH
Torrey Stafford, a 2024 AVCA First Team All-American at Pitt, was named to the 2025 AVCA National Player of the Year Watch List in early July. Stafford is one of 30 athletes on the preseason watch list. Stafford was an AVCA National Player of the Year Semifinalist in 2024 and was also an All-ACC First Team member.
FRESH FACES
Half of the Texas roster will play its first-ever match in Burnt Orange at the Opening Spike Classic. The roster features five freshmen and three standout transfers. The freshmen class features Callie Krueger - Texas 6A Defensive Player of the Year, Addy Gaido - AVCA Secon Team HS All-American, Taylor Harvey - the No. 1 MB in the 2025 class via VBAdrenaline, Cari Spears - 2024 Texas Gatorade Player of the Year and Abby Vander Wal - AVCA First Team HS All-American.
The transfers are led by Torrey Stafford (Pitt) - the lone AVCA First Team All-American on the roster, Ramsey Gary (Indiana) - Second Team All-Big 10 with 968 digs in two seasons, and Aja Kujundzic (VCU) - Second Team All-Atlantic 10 Conference.
SUCCESS AT THE TOP
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 19 seasons ranked in the top 10. 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 19-straight. Of the last 19 regional semifinal appearances, the Longhorns have advanced to 18 NCAA Regional Finals, 12 National Semifinals and eight National Championship matches.
RANKED SUCCESS
UT owns a 159-62 (.719) record against ranked opponents over the last 21 seasons (2004-24) and boasts a 72-15 (.828) home mark against ranked opponents at Gregory Gymnasium (69-15) and the Frank Erwin Center (3-0) during that span. The Longhorns finished 5-3 last season against ranked opponents.
NEW ERA ON THE FORTY
Texas Volleyball embarked on a new era in the SEC and came just short of winning the conference title in the program's first season. The Longhorns have a long history of conference dominance with 29 all-time league championships, including 16 Big 12 titles and 13 Southwest Conference Championships. The Longhorns' 2023 league title was a record seventh-straight Big 12 Championship, who won or shared 12 of the last 13 championships and 15 of the last 17. Texas departed the Big 12 Conference having won more league championships than any other program.
