The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
USC
No. 9 Volleyball preview: No. 15 USC (Big Ten/SEC Volleyball Challenge)
09.01.2026 | Volleyball
Longhorns will host the Trojans in the home opener at Gregory Gym on Wednesday (8 p.m. CT/ESPN2).
Match 5: No. 9 Texas vs. No. 15 USC
Texas: 2-2 | USC: 1-1
Wednesday, Sept. 2 – 8 p.m. CT
Gregory Gym | Austin, Texas
Television: ESPN2
THE MATCHUP
Texas leads the all-time series against USC, 6-5, including a 3-2 mark at Gregory Gym. The Longhorns have won the last four meetings, including a 3-0 sweep of the Trojans in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at Gregory Gym. Texas is 4-1 against USC under head coach Jerritt Elliott.
Elliott also has a history with the Trojans, serving as USC's interim head coach from 1999-2000. He led USC to the national semifinals in 2000 and was named Pac-10 Coach of the Year in both seasons, sharing the honor in 2000. He was also named the 1999 AVCA Pacific Region Coach of the Year.
LAST TIME OUT
Texas went 1-1 at the inaugural Players Era Volleyball Showcase last weekend in Las Vegas, sweeping No. 18 TCU, 30-28, 25-23, 25-23, on Saturday before falling to No. 1 Nebraska, 25-19, 25-19, 25-16, in a top-two matchup on Sunday. Against TCU, Torrey Stafford led the Longhorns with 12 kills, while Nya Bunton added a career-high 10 kills and Henley Anderson contributed eight kills, five blocks and five digs. Texas then battled top-ranked Nebraska in front of a national audience at T-Mobile Arena, with Cari Spears leading the Longhorns with 12 kills. Rella Binney recorded 26 assists and eight digs against the Cornhuskers.
IN THE RANKINGS
The Longhorns are ranked No. 9 in the latest AVCA Coaches' Poll. Texas is one of five SEC teams ranked in the top 25, joining Kentucky at No. 3, Texas A&M at No. 12, Florida at No. 17 and Tennessee at No. 22. This week, Texas will face a pair of ranked opponents, hosting No. 15 USC on Wednesday before traveling to Nashville to face No. 6 Louisville on Sunday in the Broadway Block Party.
NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST
Texas has two players on the 2026 AVCA Division I Women's Volleyball Player of the Year Preseason Watch List in senior Torrey Stafford and sophomore Cari Spears. Stafford earned the recognition for the third consecutive season after earning AVCA First-Team All-America honors for the second straight year and finishing as an AVCA National Player of the Year semifinalist. Spears earned her first selection after being named an AVCA Third-Team All-American and Southwest Region Freshman of the Year in 2025.
SEC PRESEASON RECOGNITION
The Longhorns picked to finish second in the 2026 SEC Preseason Coaches' Poll, receiving six first-place votes and 216 points, just two points behind preseason favorite Kentucky. Senior Torrey Stafford and sophomore Cari Spears were named to the Preseason All-SEC Team after both earned All-SEC First Team honors in 2025.
STAFFORD'S SENIOR STEP
Stafford enters her senior season as one of the nation's premier players while continuing to grow as both a player and leader. She led Texas with 516 kills, 33 service aces and 580.5 points in 2025 while earning AVCA First-Team All-America and Southwest Region Player of the Year honors. Stafford spent the summer training with the U.S. Women's National Team, an experience that challenged her and helped her development as an all-around player.
SPEARS' SECOND ACT
Spears enters her sophomore season after earning AVCA Third-Team All-America and Southwest Region Freshman of the Year honors as a freshman. She finished second on the team with 358 kills, averaging 3.25 kills per set while hitting .295 in 2025. She also became the first Texas freshman to earn AVCA National Player of the Week honors. Spears enters 2026 as a Preseason All-SEC selection and on the AVCA Player of the Year Preseason Watch List.
FRESHMAN IMPACT
Henley Anderson and Genevieve Harris enter Texas looking to make an impact in the lineup. Both were members of the 2026 U.S. Women's U21 National Team that won the Pan American Cup. Anderson started four of five matches and scored nine points in the gold-medal match, while Harris helped direct the U.S. offense. Anderson also represented the United States at the 2025 FIVB U21 World Championship and earned Best Opposite honors at the 2025 FIVB Girls U19 World Championship.
NYA AT THE NET
Senior middle blocker Nya Bunton has been one of Texas' most efficient offensive players early this season, recording 27 kills while hitting .392 through four matches. She has also added 19 total blocks in 15 sets, averaging 1.27 blocks per set. Bunton posted a career-high 10 kills in Texas' sweep of No. 18 TCU at the Players Era Volleyball Showcase after recording 14 kills and 15 blocks across the Longhorns' two matches at the AVCA First Serve.
USA VOLLEYBALL EXPERIENCE
Five Longhorns gained USA Volleyball experience during the summer. Torrey Stafford was invited to train with the U.S. Women's National Team, while Henley Anderson, Genevieve Harris, Taylor Harvey and Abby Vander Wal competed with the U.S. U21 National Team at the Pan American Cup. The four Longhorns helped Team USA win the gold medal with a perfect 5-0 record.
GARY TAKES THE REINS
Senior Ramsey Gary takes over at libero following the graduation of three-year starter and All-American Emma Halter. Now in her second season in Austin, Gary was a two-time All-Big Ten selection and two-time all-region honoree during her career at Indiana.
OFFENSE ON POINT IN 2025
Texas ranked in the top four nationally in three major offensive categories in 2025, finishing third in assists per set (13.78), fourth in hitting percentage (.315) and third in kills per set (14.75). The Longhorns led the SEC in hitting percentage and ranked second in the conference in both assists and kills per set.
TOUGHEST SCHEDULE IN 2025
Texas played the nation's toughest schedule in 2025, with its opponents combining for a 590-269 record (.687). The Longhorns finished the season No. 2 in the RPI.
RANKED SUCCESS
Texas owns a 171-68 (.715) record against ranked opponents over the last 23 seasons (2004-26) and a 79-17 (.823) home record against ranked opponents at Gregory Gymnasium and the Frank Erwin Center during that span. The Longhorns went 12-4 against ranked opponents in 2025..
ROAD HORNS
The Longhorns have won 61 of their last 64 true road matches dating back to the 2019 season. Texas went 13-0 in true road SEC matches before suffering its first loss at Texas A&M on Oct. 31, 2025. Since 2011, Texas is 135-24 (.849) in true road matches, with only seven of those losses coming against unranked teams.
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
Texas enters the 2026 season riding a 55-match home sellout streak dating back to the 2022 season. The Longhorns ranked fifth nationally and led the SEC in total home attendance in 2025, drawing 67,149 fans across 15 matches. Texas averaged 4,477 fans per match, the sixth-best mark in the nation.
Texas set a Gregory Gym attendance record with 5,344 fans for the 2022 NCAA Regional Final against Ohio State before setting a new program and state record in 2025 when 10,899 fans attended the Stanford match at Moody Center. The Stanford crowd was the 11th-largest for any match in 2025 and the eighth-largest for a regular-season match.
MODEL OF CONSISTENCY
Texas has established itself as one of the most consistently successful programs in college volleyball, finishing each of the last 20 seasons ranked in the AVCA top 10, the only Division I program to accomplish the feat. The Longhorns have finished in the top five in 16 of the last 19 seasons, including 11 consecutive seasons from 2008-18.
Texas also owns the nation's longest active streak of NCAA Regional Semifinal appearances, advancing to the Sweet 16 in 20 consecutive seasons. During that stretch, the Longhorns have advanced to 19 NCAA Regional Finals, 12 National Semifinals and eight National Championship matches.
PRO HORNS IN THE USA
Texas has a strong presence in the professional volleyball landscape, with 12 former Longhorns currently set to compete in the United States across LOVB and Major League Volleyball.
LOVB:
•Austin: Bella Bergmark, Juliann Faucette, Molly McCage, Asjia O'Neal, Madisen Skinner
•Atlanta: Saige Ka'aha'aina-Torres
•Miami: Khat Bell
•Nebraska: Regan Rutherford
MLV:
•Atlanta Vibe: Zoe Jarvis
•Indy Ignite: Emma Halter
•Minnesota Forge: Jenna Wenaas
•Vegas Thrill: Kayla Caffey
HALL OF HONOR: KHAT BELL
Former Longhorn Khat Bell will be inducted into the Texas Athletics Hall of Honor as part of the Class of 2026. Bell was a three-time All-American and helped Texas win the 2012 NCAA Championship and four consecutive Big 12 titles from 2011-14. She finished her Texas career with 827 kills and 436 total blocks and has gone on to a successful professional career spanning more than a decade.
TWO-SPORT LONGHORN: MACKENZIE COLLINS
Mackenzie Collins is competing in her first season with Texas Volleyball while also continuing her career as a member of the Longhorn track and field program. A standout hurdler, Collins advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Championships as a freshman in 2025. She joins a long line of Texas athletes who have excelled in multiple sports, including former Longhorn Destinee Hooker. Hooker played volleyball at Texas from 2006-09 and was a four-time All-American while also competing in track & field from 2005-09. She won four NCAA high jump championships, including three outdoor titles in 2006, 2007 and 2009 and the 2009 indoor championship.
TEXAS VOLLEYBALL-BASKETBALL CONNECTION
The Texas volleyball and basketball programs share several family connections. Senior Torrey Stafford's older sister, Imani McGee-Stafford, played basketball at Texas from 2012-16 and was a three-time All-Big 12 selection. She also received the 2016 Honda Inspiration Award and was selected No. 10 overall by the Chicago Sky in the 2016 WNBA Draft. Cari Spears' brother, Marcus, is a freshman on the Texas men's basketball team, while Camille Presley's brother, Malik, played basketball at Texas in 2024-25.
HAWAI'I TO THE FORTY
Since 2007, eight student-athletes have made their way from Hawai'i to the Forty Acres: Sydney Yogi (2008-11), Sarah Palmer (2010-13), Kat Brooks (2012-15), Jhenna Gabriel (2018-21), Saige Ka'aha'aina-Torres (2021-22), Keonilei Akana (2022-24), Devin Kahahawai (2022-25) and Rella Binney (2024-present).
