Volleyball On SI

No. 2 Texas Volleyball's Weaknesses Exposed in Exhibition Win Over Rice

The Longhorns grabbed the win from the Rice Owls, but not without some difficulties at the service line.

Paige Durrenberger

Dec 17, 2022; Omaha, Nebraska, US; Louisville Cardinals Aiko Jones (15) attacks the block from the Texas Longhorns at CHI Health Center. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 17, 2022; Omaha, Nebraska, US; Louisville Cardinals Aiko Jones (15) attacks the block from the Texas Longhorns at CHI Health Center. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports / USA TODAY Sports

Despite the match at Gregory Gym only being an exhibition, fans were on their feet after Texas' 29-27 fourth-set win over Rice.

The final points of the set were back and forth, and neither team could extend its lead far enough to grab the W until a rally ended with Rice's ball on the floor and the Texas players in a tight embrace.

With five sets guaranteed, Texas won the majority, 3-2. However, the game wasn't without its flaws. Numerous service errors and missed blocks allowed the Owls to take the third and fifth sets 29-27 and 15-9, respectively.

The Good

For the first two sets, head coach Jerritt Elliott seemed to stick by his starters. Notably, redshirt junior middle Nya Bunton, senior outside hitter Torrey Stafford and sophomore outside hitter Cari Spears.

The Longhorns weren't without their new rising star for long, with freshman outside hitter Henley Anderson entering the game just 13 points in. Anderson made her presence known right away, managing to score back-to-back aces and multiple kills each set.

"All of our freshmen have stepped up and (have been) pouring into the team," Stafford said.

The youngest face on the team by far got plenty of time at the net, freshman middle blocker Camille Presley. The 17-year-old reclassified to join the Longhorn roster this year, a year early. She was able to pick up multiple blocks and even a few kills in one of her first games in burnt orange.

"She was really excited every point," Stafford said. "It's so funny because she's just a freshman — like she's so jolly, and it's so cute to be part of the team."

Third Set Nap, Déjà Vu?

Even with the 3-2 win, the Longhorns battled some sloppiness midway through that match. Without official game statistics, the exact number of service errors cannot be verified.

However, Texas was consistently hitting balls into the net, leaving the door open for Rice to capitalize. And they did, taking the third set 25-19.

It was reminiscent of the exhibition match against Minnesota. After two victorious sets, the Longhorns slowed down and slipped, allowing the Golden Gophers to win the third set. Texas ended up winning the guaranteed four-set match 3-1.

"Our coaches have been pouring into us that 'we don't care about errors as long as we're going for it,'" Stafford said. "Obviously, we don't want to miss serves, but having the mentality to go for it and take it off the net."

The Longhorns didn't let their self-inflicted wounds throw them off kilter. Instead, Texas kept its head in the game and entered the fourth set renewed. Swindle finally made her first appearance on the court in Friday's game, as did sophomore middle blocker Mackenzie Collins and sophomore libero Callie Krueger.

The hard-fought set seemed to show the Longhorns' tenacity, even while they had their backs up against a wall. Eventually, Texas strung together the plays to get the two points it needed to end the set.

Even though the Longhorns were able to proclaim themselves the winners, five sets had already been scheduled by both teams. However, Texas seemed out of gas, dropping the fifth set 15-9.

"Summer workouts have done us well, it shouldn't be a problem, but obviously there's fatigue," Stafford said. "We're in preseason now, but this is the moment we've been training for to make sure we're really good and fit."

Texas will open the season against Arizona State at the American Volleyball Coaches Association First Serve event on Aug. 22 at 6 p.m. CT.

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Paige Durrenberger
PAIGE DURRENBERGER

Paige Durrenberger is a sports writer and Economics student at the University of Texas at Austin. She has covered golf, softball, and the Texas Stars for The Daily Texan and is also a contributing writer for 5Wins. Raised in Dallas, Texas, when Durrenberger isn’t covering sports, she’s either out running with her dog Bailey or cheering on whichever Dallas team is in season.

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