Volleyball game between the Texas Longhorns and Rice Owls at Gregory Gym in Austin, Texas on August 14, 2026. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)
Texas Volleyball returned to Gregory Gym for the first time this season needing a cleaner performance after an uneven opening stretch away from home. The No. 9 Longhorns delivered one, sweeping the No. 15 USC Trojans 25-16, 25-21, 25-20 in front of a sellout crowd of 4,827 as part of the Big Ten/SEC Volleyball Challenge. The crowd was the seventh-largest in Gregory Gym history, and Texas responded with its most efficient offensive match of the young season.
The opening set stayed even through the first 12 rallies before Texas began to create separation. With the score tied 6-6, the Longhorns used a 6-1 run to move ahead 12-7. A block from Henley Anderson and Torrey Stafford, followed by a kill from Anderson, helped change the pace of the set, while Cari Spears added two kills and a service ace during the run.
Texas continued to push the advantage rather than allowing USC back into the set. Spears was especially effective, finishing the opening frame with six kills, while Stafford added four. The Longhorns hit .321 in the set and closed it 25-16 on a kill from Stafford. USC actually held a 4-1 blocking advantage in the frame, but Texas was better in transition and finished more of its opportunities.
The second set required considerably more work. Texas built an 11-6 advantage, but USC began to settle into its offense and steadily erased the deficit. A 7-1 run gave the Trojans a 15-14 lead, and they remained in front at 17-16. The Longhorns answered before the set could turn completely, getting kills from Stafford and Anderson during a stretch that put Texas back ahead 20-19.
From there, the Longhorns played the final points with more control. Stafford added another kill for a 21-19 lead, and a USC attack error increased the margin to three. Nya Bunton and Spears combined for a block to reach set point, then Bunton and Anderson teamed for another block to finish the set 25-21. Texas hit .353 in the second while holding USC to .097, with Spears and Stafford each recording seven kills.
The third set provided the most difficult stretch of the night and, ultimately, the most convincing part of the victory. USC jumped to an 8-2 lead behind a five-point run and appeared ready to extend the match. Texas did not erase the deficit quickly. Instead, the Longhorns gradually worked their way back behind kills from Spears, Bunton, Stafford and Anderson, cutting the margin to 15-13.
The turning point came at the net. Ella Swindle and Bunton combined for a block that brought Texas within one, and Stafford followed with a solo block to tie the set 17-17. A Stafford kill gave the Longhorns their first lead of the frame, and what had been a six-point USC advantage quickly disappeared.
Texas continued to pile up points through its blocking. Swindle and Bunton combined again before a USC setting error extended the lead to 21-17, and another block from the same pair made it 22-17. By the time the Trojans managed to stop the run, the set had completely changed. A USC service error gave Texas match point, and Spears finished the night with her 17th kill for the 25-20 victory.
The final numbers reflected how much more efficient Texas was than it had been during the opening weeks of the season. The Longhorns hit a season-best .309 with 42 kills and 12 attack errors on 97 swings. USC finished with 32 kills and 19 errors while hitting .135. Texas also held an 11-8 advantage in blocks and finished with four service aces to USC's three.
Spears produced the strongest offensive performance of the match, finishing with 17 kills while hitting .464. She added eight digs, two blocks and two service aces. Stafford supplied 14 kills and three blocks, giving Texas two reliable options on the outside throughout the night.
At the net, Bunton finished with a match-high eight blocks to go with four kills. Ramsey Gary led the defense with 11 digs, while setter Rella Binney directed the offense with 31 assists and added nine digs. The balance was important because Texas did not need to rely on one part of the court to control the match.
USC received its best offensive performance from London Wijay, who finished with 11 kills, seven digs and two blocks while hitting .241. Abigail Mullen added nine kills, and Lilli Etter recorded 28 assists. Leah Ford contributed five blocks, helping USC remain competitive at the net even while the Trojans struggled to score consistently from the attack.
The match was USC's third consecutive contest against a ranked opponent, and the Trojans entered Austin after splitting matches against ranked teams in their opening weekend. Texas had faced its own difficult early schedule, beginning the season with neutral-site matches against Arizona State, Marquette, TCU and Nebraska before finally returning home.
That early schedule had exposed inconsistency in the Texas offense, particularly in losses to Arizona State and Nebraska. Against USC, the Longhorns looked considerably more settled. They hit above .250 in all three sets, limited long stretches of errors and responded well when USC made its strongest pushes.
The third set may have been the most useful part of the night for Texas. Winning the first two sets from mostly favorable positions was one thing. Falling behind 8-2 and then taking control without needing a fourth set required a different kind of response. The Longhorns did not rely on a single scoring burst to recover. They chipped away at the deficit, increased the pressure at the net and eventually turned a six-point hole into a five-point win.
The sweep moved Texas to 3-2 and provided a much better first impression at Gregory Gym than the team's neutral-site record might have suggested. There were still moments when USC disrupted the Longhorns, particularly early in the second and third sets, but Texas handled those stretches without allowing them to define the match. Against another ranked opponent, the combination of efficient attacking, improved blocking and steadier play in difficult moments was enough to make the home opener a convincing one.
University of Texas Volleyball
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