The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Missouri
11.05.2026 | Volleyball
Longhorns travel to Columbia for Friday SEC matchup with Tigers.
Match 20: No. 13 Texas Volleyball at Missouri
Texas: 12-7 (8-3) | Missouri: 14-9 (7-4)
Friday, Nov. 16 | 7 p.m. CT
Hearnes Center | Columbia, Mo.
Television: SEC Network+ | Play-by-Play: Max Thoma; Analyst: Riley Rohler
AUSTIN, Texas – No. 13 Texas Volleyball travels to Columbia, Missouri, to take on the Tigers in an SEC matchup on Friday, Nov. 6, at Hearnes Center. First serve is set for 7 p.m. CT, with the match streaming live on SEC Network+.
The Longhorns enter Friday's matchup at 12-7 overall and 8-3 in SEC play after sweeping No. 17 Texas A&M on Sunday. Texas has won three consecutive matches by sweep and four of its last five contests. The Longhorns hit .375 and held the Aggies to a .138 hitting percentage in Sunday's victory, including a .609 hitting percentage in the second set.
Texas has gone 4-1 since returning to the two-setter, 6-2 system on Oct. 16 against Auburn, winning 14 of 17 sets during that stretch. Senior outside hitter Torrey Stafford leads the Longhorns with 4.48 kills per set, ranking 11th nationally and fourth in the SEC. Senior middle blocker Nya Bunton leads the conference and ranks eighth nationally with a .429 hitting percentage. Freshman outside hitter Henley Anderson was named SEC Freshman of the Week for the third time this season on Nov. 2 after averaging 3.00 kills per set while hitting .418 in sweeps of Georgia and Texas A&M.
Missouri enters Friday's match at 14-9 overall and 7-4 in SEC play after earning a five-set victory over No. 6 Tennessee on Sunday. The Tigers have won six of their last seven matches, including three consecutive sweeps during that stretch. Missouri rallied from a 2-1 deficit against Tennessee, overcoming match point in the fourth set before closing out the match with a 15-9 victory in the fifth. Senior libero Ainoah Cruz leads the SEC with 391 total digs and ranks second with 4.49 digs per set. She was named SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week after averaging 5.38 digs per set against No. 7 Kentucky and No. 6 Tennessee.
THE MATCHUP
- Texas and Missouri meet for the 35th time in program history on Friday.
- The Longhorns lead the all-time series, 23-11, including a 9-7 record in road matches.
- Texas travels to Missouri for the first time since 2011, when the Longhorns earned a four-set victory over the Tigers as Big 12 opponents.
- The teams have split their two meetings since Texas joined the SEC. Missouri earned a five-set victory at Gregory Gymnasium in 2024 before Texas swept the Tigers in Austin last season.
- Prior to Missouri's 2024 victory, Texas had won 11 consecutive meetings in the series.
- Texas has swept eight of the last 13 meetings.
TEXAS AT A GLANCE
- No. 13 Texas enters Friday's match with a 12-7 overall record and an 8-3 mark in SEC play after sweeping No. 17 Texas A&M on Sunday.
- The Longhorns have won three consecutive matches by sweep and four of their last five contests. Texas is 3-3 on the road this season.
- Texas ranks 10th nationally and fourth in the SEC with 13.16 assists per set and 19th nationally and fifth in the conference with 13.91 kills per set.
- Senior middle blocker Nya Bunton ranks eighth nationally and leads the SEC with a .429 hitting percentage.
- Senior outside hitter Torrey Stafford ranks 11th nationally and fourth in the SEC with 4.48 kills per set and 22nd nationally and fifth in the conference with 4.85 points per set.
- Freshman outside hitter Henley Anderson has recorded double-digit kills in nine consecutive matches.
- Texas outhit Texas A&M .375 to .138 in Sunday's sweep, including a .609 hitting percentage in the second set.
MISSOURI AT A GLANCE
- Missouri enters Friday's match with a 14-9 overall record and a 7-4 mark in SEC play after earning a five-set victory over No. 6 Tennessee on Sunday.
- The Tigers have won six of their last seven matches, including three consecutive sweeps during that stretch.
- Missouri rallied from a 2-1 deficit against Tennessee, overcoming match point at 25-24 in the fourth set to win 27-25 before closing out the match with a 15-9 victory in the fifth. The win marked Missouri's highest-ranked victory since defeating No. 5 Florida on Nov. 20, 2016.
- Senior libero Ainoah Cruz was named SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week after leading the conference with 43 digs against No. 7 Kentucky and No. 6 Tennessee, averaging 5.38 digs per set.
- Cruz leads the SEC with 391 total digs and ranks second with 4.49 digs per set. She recorded 29 digs against Tennessee.
- Fifth-year outside hitter Kimani Johnson and senior outside hitter Grace O'Reilly led Missouri with 16 kills apiece against Tennessee.
- Missouri ranks second in the SEC in kills (1,092), third in assists (992) and fifth in hitting percentage (.261), which ranks 28th nationally.
BACK TO THE 6-2
- Texas opened the season in a two-setter, 6-2 system for its first three matches before switching to a one-setter, 5-1 system following the season-ending injury to outside hitter Abby Vander Wal. The Longhorns returned to the 6-2 on Oct. 16 against Auburn, with Rella Binney and Genevieve Harris running the offense.
- Texas is 4-1 in five matches since returning to the 6-2, winning 14 of 17 sets, including four sweeps.
- The Longhorns' attack efficiency has improved from .267 in the five matches immediately preceding the switch to .304 over the five matches since returning to the 6-2. Opponents' attack efficiency has dropped from .239 to .208 over the same periods.
STAFFORD'S LEADING THE WAY
- Senior outside hitter Torrey Stafford leads Texas with 309 kills, averaging 4.48 kills per set. She also leads the team with 334.5 points and averages 4.85 points per set.
- Stafford ranks 11th nationally and fourth in the SEC in kills per set and 22nd nationally and fifth in the conference in points per set.
- In SEC matches, Stafford averages 5.10 kills, the second-best mark in the conference, and her 5.60 points per set are third best.
- Stafford has recorded four 20-kill performances and seven double-doubles this season.
- She has registered double-digit kills in 17 matches, including each of the last 15.
SPEARS' SECOND ACT
- Sophomore outside hitter/opposite Cari Spears ranks second among Longhorns with 202 kills and 3.01 kills per set. She leads the team with 17 service aces.
- Spears has recorded at least nine kills in 12 of Texas' 19 matches.
- She collected eight kills on .333 hitting and four blocks in the sweep of Georgia on Oct. 28.
- Spears recorded 13 kills on .346 hitting against No. 7 Florida on Oct. 18.
- She surpassed 500 career kills with her second kill against Alabama on Oct. 4, finishing with 17 kills and a match-high eight digs.
ANDERSON NAMED SEC FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
- Freshman outside hitter Henley Anderson was named SEC Freshman of the Week for the third time this season on Nov. 2, earning more selections than any other freshman in the conference this season.
- Anderson helped Texas sweep Georgia and No. 17 Texas A&M, averaging 3.00 kills per set while hitting .418 over the two matches.
- She recorded 11 kills on a .409 hitting percentage with two service aces against Georgia before following with 10 kills on a .444 hitting percentage, two blocks and one service ace against Texas A&M.
- Anderson has recorded double-digit kills in nine consecutive matches, including 10 double-digit kill performances this season.
BUNTON AT THE NET
- Senior middle blocker Nya Bunton has recorded 110 kills in 14 matches played while hitting .429, adding 57 total blocks.
- Her .429 hitting percentage ranks eighth nationally and tops the SEC.
- Bunton returned against Auburn on Oct. 16 after missing four matches, recording seven kills on .778 hitting and three blocks.
- She recorded a career-high 14 kills and four blocks while hitting .393 at Tennessee.
BINNEY SETS THE TABLE
- Junior setter Rella Binney leads Texas with 625 assists (9.06 per set) and has recorded seven double-doubles this season.
- Binney arrived at Texas as a walk-on, earned a scholarship prior to her sophomore season and was named the Longhorns' starting setter as a junior this season.
- She has recorded at least 30 assists in 10 matches this season, including eight of the last 13.
- Binney recorded 30 assists against Oklahoma and a season-high 63 assists (15.75 per set) in Texas' win at Arkansas on Oct. 9, adding nine digs.
- She earned SEC Player of the Week and Setter of the Week honors on Oct. 5, becoming the first Longhorn to earn both awards in the same week.
GARY TAKES THE REINS
- Senior libero Ramsey Gary leads Texas with 276 digs and averages 4.00 digs per set.
- In SEC play, Gary averages 4.18 digs per set, the fourth-best mark in the conference.
- She has recorded double-digit digs in 14 matches this season, including 12 of the last 13.
- Gary recorded a match-high 13 digs in the sweeps of Georgia and No. 17 Texas A&M.
- She established a Texas rally-scoring era record with 34 digs (8.5 per set) in a four-set win at Arkansas on Oct. 9. The total is the most ever by a Longhorn in a four-set match and equaled the Texas record established in 1999.
ELLIOTT APPROACHES MILESTONES
- Head coach Jerritt Elliott is in his 26th season at Texas and has compiled 697 career Division I victories, including 647 wins with the Longhorns.
- Elliott is three wins away from 700 career Division I victories and 650 at Texas.
- His career win total ranks fourth among active Division I coaches, while his Texas victories rank 21st all time among coaches at a single Division I institution.
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