Volleyball On SI

Texas Volleyball Freshmen Shine Against Minnesota in First Exhibition Game

With the building excitement of the returning talent to Gregory Gym, the newest additions to the team excelled and reminded fans not to forget the premier talent Texas volleyball has added to the 2026 roster.

Paige Durrenberger

Dec 17, 2022; Omaha, Nebraska, US; Louisville Cardinals Aiko Jones (15) attacks against Texas Longhorns Kayla Caffey (28) and Logan Eggleston (33) at CHI Health Center. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 17, 2022; Omaha, Nebraska, US; Louisville Cardinals Aiko Jones (15) attacks against Texas Longhorns Kayla Caffey (28) and Logan Eggleston (33) at CHI Health Center. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports / USA TODAY Sports

The pieces of the puzzle are there for Texas volleyball, but coming into Monday, there was some uncertainty about whether they could work together.

However, during the first exhibition match, Texas showed that the pieces do fit.

The Longhorns, who were announced as the nation's second-best team during the match, bested the Minnesota Golden Gophers 3-1 in their first exhibition game of the season in a great showing of new talent and reliable familiar faces.

Minnesota finished the 2025 season 24-10, falling to Pittsburgh in the third round of the NCAA Volleyball Tournament.

"We have a really nice young team (and) there's a lot of really good arms," head coach Jerritt Elliott said after Monday's match. "We have five jump servers right now, so we're super aggressive from the service line."

Freshmen Perform For First Time in Longhorn Jerseys

Most fans were expecting to see beloved senior setter Ella Swindle in the starting lineup, but Elliott decided to take everyone by surprise and leave her on the bench until the second set.

However, the attention quickly shifted to a couple of other individuals on the court.

Freshman outside hitter Henley Anderson stepped onto the court with a spring in her step and a high head. And with that confidence, she excelled when all eyes were on her. She managed to score back-to-back aces, elevating the Longhorns to 15-10 during the first set.

Anderson wasn't the only freshman on the court under the lights of Gregory Gymnasium.

Setter Genevieve Harris rotated in and instantly made an impact, picking up an unofficial kill with the help of senior outside hitter Torrey Stafford and sophomore outside hitter Cari Spears.

"They have confidence in themselves, and Jerritt (Elliott) and our coaches give them so much confidence to play free, and I feel like it shows when we're on the court," Spears said.

At the service line, both freshmen look like they're fitting right in with Texas' seasoned veterans, aiding their team to a 25-13 and 25-8 start.

"I was super pleased," Elliott said. "You know freshmen, it's always very nerve-wracking to play, so kinda seeing how they did in those situations was great."

The Climb After Third Set Slow Down

While Texas seemed to be on a roll in the first two sets, Minnesota looked like it was playing with some newfound energy at the start of the third. Plays were finally coming together, and blocks were becoming effective. On the other side of the net, the Longhorns seemed to have lost their rhythm.

The Golden Gophers were attacking the Longhorns' front row with a tenacity not seen in the prior sets. While Texas stayed even for a little while, evening the score to 7-7 during the third set, it was apparent that Minnesota was running away with this round when the score reached 15-10. Texas couldn't respond and dropped the third set 25-16.

While it seemed that the fourth set was just going to be a continuation of the momentum the Golden Gophers had built, accumulating a 6-2 lead, the Longhorns finally were able to stop the roll and went up 15-13 before Elliott called a timeout to check in with his players.

Texas fully bounced back, and took the fourth set 25-22.

Texas will return to Gregory Gym on Friday at 6 p.m. CT to take on Rice in the final exhibition game of the season.

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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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