Texas Volleyball Beats Alabama in 4 Sets, But Head Coach Jerritt Elliott Wasn’t Happy

AUSTIN, Texas — Hot and cold. That's a fitting description for No. 8 Texas volleyball.

The Longhorns can look sloppy at times, and then look like a polished team the next. Nevertheless, Texas picked up its third Southeastern Conference win, this one against unranked Alabama.

Texas got off to a slow start against the Crimson Tide, dropping the second set 25-23. However, victories in the first, third and fourth sets, going 25-23, 25-21 and 25-22, secured the win.

Sophomore outside hitter Cari Spears made the match worth her time, registering 17 kills and racking up a milestone, her 500th career kill.

"She's been a big part of this program," head coach Jerritt Elliott said. "She's been playing six rotations for us, and I thought she did a nice job today."

With a .231 hitting percentage, it definitely wasn't the strong showing Spears wanted, but it got the job done both individually and as a team.

Good morning, Gregory Gym! No. 8 Texas volleyball is taking on Alabama at 12 p.m. CT. Senior middle blocker Nya Bunton is seated on the bench with a knee brace on while her team warms up. #Hookem #RollTide pic.twitter.com/OcM2oJqhZH
— Paige Durrenberger (@PaigeTexas06) October 4, 2026

The Longhorns Show What 'Texas Fight' Means

When the Longhorns took to the court Sunday, they looked disjointed, and nothing like the cohesive team fans saw Friday night. Serves were missed, kills resulted in errors, and the Alabama bench was eating it up. They were jumping, chest-bumping and cheering at a volume loud enough for all of Gregory Gym to hear.

When the Longhorns fell to a 12-6 deficit during set one, fans were deflated. However, this Texas team has shown that you can't count them out until the very last ball drops.

There's a reason "Texas Fight" isn't just an expression; it's a culture.

The Longhorns clawed their way back to a 22-18 lead in the first set, and after several long rallies and a late Crimson Tide push, Texas took the first set 25-23.

The Tide won’t go away!

📊Live Stats: https://t.co/HmLwwG0ppE
📺SEC Network+: https://t.co/EGCoPXmfYA #RollTide pic.twitter.com/5K6CU2LWZM
— Alabama Volleyball (@AlabamaVBall) October 4, 2026

But even with the grit this team showed, Elliott was extremely unhappy with his team's performance, talking to the team for over 30 minutes in the locker room following that match. Usually, the student-athletes are in and out.

"We were just sloppy all night long," Elliott said.

The second set was pretty much the same story, just with a different outcome. The Longhorns dropped the second set 25-23. Alabama looked significantly more in sync than Texas, and while the Longhorns still had that "Texas Fight," it was not enough to boost them to a potential sweep position.

Who Was On The Court? And Who Wasn't?

Aces were the name of the game this afternoon, with the Longhorns picking up seven and the Crimson Tide scoring nine. Even with the aces, service errors continue to impact the momentum of this Texas team, registering 16 errors at the service line.

Elliott has spoken about the aggressiveness this team has throughout the entire point, but the Longhorns are still finding the balance of being assertive and keeping the ball in play.

Senior middle blocker Nya Bunton is still absent from Texas' rotation, dealing with an unknown left knee problem, so against Alabama, her position was filled by sophomore middle blocker Taylor Harvey.

Harvey played all four sets and managed to clock a .571 kill rate with just one error. It seems the Longhorn rotation is fitting well around a change in middle blockers, but just three weeks ago, senior outside hitter Torrey Stafford and Spears were singing Bunton's praises.

"Nya has always been this girl," Stafford said on Sept. 13 after beating Wisconsin at the Moody Center. "I think that we're finding her more, and our passing has gotten so much better that we're able to run an offense where she's really involved."

Nya. Freaking. Bunton. 💥#HookEm pic.twitter.com/1JQ4wvAD5d
— Texas Volleyball (@TexasVolleyball) September 13, 2026

Another player fans have been yearning to see made an appearance on the court this afternoon.

Senior setter Ella Swindle, a member of the 2023 national championship-winning team, has not been the starting setter all season. Instead, it's been junior setter Rella Binney. This is Swindle's eighth game of the season, with just 20 sets played. Elliott said that he would be looking week-by-week to see if Swindle's presence was required, but evidently he hasn't seen a need.

What Gregory Gym needed in the second set was an energy boost, so when fans saw Swindle on the side of the court ready to tag in, the building exploded. However, Swindle was never given the chance to record any stats that set, playing one point and being exchanged for Binney once again.

All that energy in Gregory Gym was immediately sucked out when the bleachers saw Swindle back on the bench.

During the fourth set, Swindle was given another go, but Elliott was not pleased with her performance at the net and was quick to pull her after just one assist.

The Texas Longhorns will have a brief break before travelling to Arkansas to play the Razorbacks on Friday, Oct. 9, at 7 p.m. CT.

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