The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
2026 Volleyball Roster
Roster
Cari Spears
- Height:
- 6-3
- Class:
- Sophomore
- High School:
- Prestonwood Christian Academy
- Hometown:
- Frisco, Texas
- Major:
- Physical Culture & Sports
- 2025 AVCA Third Team All-American
- 2025 AVCA All-Southwest Regional Team
- 2025 AVCA All-Southwest Region Freshman of the Year
- 2025 All-SEC First Team
- 2025 SEC All-Freshman Team
- 2025 All-SEC Tournament Team
- 2025 NCAA Austin Regional All-Tournament Team
- AVCA National Player of the Year Watch List (Oct. 2025)
- AVCA National Player of the Week (9/22/25)
- 5x SEC Freshman of the Week (9/8/25, 9/15/25, 9/22/25, 10/6/25, 10/27/25)
- 2x SEC Player of the Week (9/15/25, 9/22/25)
- 2025-26 First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll
2025 (Freshman)
Started all 30 matches and played in all 110 sets … Finished her freshman season with 358 kills, the second-most on the team, 141 digs, 51 blocks and 13 assists … Started both matches against No. 12 Creighton and No. 8 Wisconsin and led the team in kills with 11 against Wisconsin while hitting an impressive .476 attack percentage … Recorded 11 kills and a season-high eight digs in the win against Rice … Gathered 14 kills, six digs and one block in the win against Stanford … Added a then-career-high 16 kills and five blocks in the 3-2 win against No. 4 Louisville … Led Texas in kills with 18, while adding four blocks, two digs and one assist in the win against No. 9 Arizona State … Led the Longhorns in kills with 18, along with one assist, one service ace and four digs in the win against No. 21 Baylor … Notched 14 kills and three digs in the win against No. 21 Missouri … Finished with 15 kills, three digs, one block and one ace in the win at Georgia … Registered her first career double-double in the win against No. 17 Tennessee with 14 kills and 11 digs, while also adding two assists … Recorded 10 kills, six digs and two assists in the win over Alabama … Totaled a career-high six blocks along with five kills in the win over Arkansas … Put up 13 kills and eight digs in the win against Oklahoma … Notched 16 kills, nine digs and two blocks in the win at Ole Miss … Registered a team-leading 16 kills along with four digs in the win against LSU … Finished with 12 kills, three digs and two blocks at No. 9 Texas A&M … Recorded 13 kills, two digs and an assist against No. 3 Kentucky … Registered her sixth-straight match with double-digit kills (13) and added three digs and two blocks in the win at Florida … Finished with her seventh-straight match with double-digit kills (14) along with seven digs in the win at Auburn … Put up five kills, two digs and two blocks in the win over South Carolina … Added 11 kills, hit .579 and finished with five digs and a block in the SEC Tournament quarterfinal win over Ole Miss … Finished with 11 kills, seven digs and five blocks in the SEC Tournament semifinal win over No. 6 Texas A&M … Posted 15 kills, six digs and two blocks against No. 3 Kentucky in the SEC Championship match … Added seven kills and one block in the NCAA First Round win over Florida A&M … Posted nine kills, three blocks and three digs in the NCAA Second Round win over No. 25 Penn State … Recorded eight kills, three digs and one block against No. 15 Indiana in the NCAA Regional Semifinal … Ended the season with 12 kills against No. 10 Wisconsin in the NCAA Regional Final, marking her 23rd double-digit kill match of the season.
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
Three-time member of the USA Volleyball Girls U19 National Team (2022, 2023, 2025) … Helped the United States win gold at the 2022 U19 Pan American Cup and a silver medal at the 2025 FIVB Girls U19 World Championship … USA Volleyball National Team Development Program (NTDP) Indoor Training Series athlete.
PRIOR TO TEXAS
Played at Prestonwood Christian Academy (2022-24) after beginning her high school career at Flint Hill School (Oakton, Va.) in 2021 … Ranked the No. 1 player in Texas by PrepDig in the Class of 2025 ... Capped her prep career by being named the 2024 AVCA High School National Player of the Year, 2024 Texas Gatorade Player of the Year, 2024 AVCA First Team High School All-American, 2024 Under Armour All-American and a 2024 MaxPreps National Player of the Year finalist while repeating as TAPPS 6A District MVP and TAPPS First Team All-State ... Earned 2023 MaxPreps Texas Player of the Year, Dallas Morning News All-Area Hitter of the Year, TAPPS 6A District MVP, TAPPS First Team All-State and TGCA Volleyball All-Star honors after helping Prestonwood Christian continue its success … Named the 2022 Texas Gatorade Player of the Year, PrepVolleyball National Player of the Year, VolleyballMag Texas High School Player of the Year and MaxPreps First Team High School All-American while leading Prestonwood Christian to the 2022 TAPPS 6A Division I state championship ... Led Flint Hill to the 2021 VISAA Division I state championship while earning VISAA Player of the Year, VISAA First Team All-State, ISL Player of the Year, All-ISL and All-Met First Team honors … Finished her prep career with more than 2,100 kills ... and played club volleyball for Texas Advantage Volleyball (TAV).
PERSONAL
Full name is Macaria Spears … Daughter of Aiysha and Marcus Spears … Has two siblings, Miko and Marcus … Mother played basketball at LSU and professionally in the WNBA … Father played football at LSU before a career in the NFL and is now an NFL analyst … Brother, Marcus, signed to play basketball at Texas. ... Chose Texas because of the experienced staff, academics, and culture of the program ... Thought the coaches saw her than more than just a volleyball player.
