Volleyball game between the Texas Longhorns and Alabama Crimson Tide at Gregory Gymnasium in Austin, Texas on October 4, 2026. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)
Texas Volleyball needed more than the clean offensive rhythm that carried it past Mississippi State two days earlier. Against the Alabama Crimson Tide, the No. 8 Longhorns repeatedly had to recover from deficits, eventually earning a 25-23, 23-25, 25-21, 25-22 victory at Gregory Gym in Austin. The win moved Texas to 7-5 overall and 3-1 in SEC play while keeping the Longhorns unbeaten at home.
Alabama made it clear immediately that this would not resemble Texas' comfortable sweep of Mississippi State. The Crimson Tide raced to a 12-5 lead in the opening set, taking advantage of Texas errors and forcing the Longhorns to work from behind almost from the first serve. A block involving Mackenzie Collins and Cari Spears helped start the recovery, followed by a kill and service ace from Torrey Stafford that cut the margin to 14-12.
Texas continued to chip away rather than trying to erase the deficit all at once. Four consecutive points finally gave the Longhorns their first lead at 17-16, and they eventually stretched the advantage to 21-18. Alabama made one more push before the finish, but Stafford delivered her seventh kill of the set to close out a 25-23 win.
The second set began almost exactly as the first had. Alabama scored the first five points, again forcing Texas into an early chase. This time the Longhorns recovered more quickly, using a 6-1 run to tie the score at 11-11. Consecutive kills from Spears and Henley Anderson moved Texas ahead 14-12, but neither team could create much separation from there.
The closing stretch belonged to Alabama. Texas held a 22-21 advantage before the Crimson Tide put together three straight points to reach set point. Spears answered with a kill to keep the Longhorns alive, but Lily Gervase finished the set with her fourth kill of the frame, giving Alabama a 25-23 victory and evening the match.
Texas finally avoided an early deficit in the third. The Longhorns went ahead 6-3 and extended the advantage to 10-4, forcing Alabama to spend the set trying to recover instead. The Crimson Tide managed to get within four at 21-17, but Texas answered immediately. Spears and Anderson delivered consecutive kills, and Spears' fifth kill of the set gave the Longhorns set point at 24-20.
The third ended at the net. Rella Binney and Collins combined for the block that finished the set 25-21 and restored Texas' one-set advantage. After hitting below .180 in each of the first two sets, the Longhorns improved to .423 in the third, committing only two attack errors on 26 attempts.
The fourth initially looked as though Texas might finally create some comfortable distance. Stafford recorded four early kills as the Longhorns jumped ahead 8-3, and Texas maintained an advantage through much of the first half of the set. Alabama refused to let the match end quietly, gradually reducing the deficit before consecutive blocks helped the Crimson Tide move ahead 20-17.
That three-point deficit became the defining stretch of the afternoon. Texas responded with three straight points, including consecutive blocks involving Anderson and Taylor Harvey, to tie the score at 20-20. After the teams traded points, Binney and Harvey combined on another block to put Texas ahead 23-22. An Alabama attack error brought match point, and Stafford ended it with her 18th kill for a 25-22 victory.
Stafford led Texas offensively with 18 kills, two service aces and two blocks. Spears was close behind with 17 kills, eight digs, three blocks and an ace, while also reaching 500 career kills with her second kill of the match. Anderson continued her strong stretch with 13 kills on 22 attacks, hitting .455 and reaching double figures for the second consecutive match.
Texas also received an important contribution from its block. Harvey and Collins each finished with six blocks, with the total marking a career high for Collins. Binney directed the offense with 40 assists, giving her a fourth match this season with at least 40.
Alabama's strongest performance came from Gervase, who finished with 10 kills while hitting .500 and added seven blocks. Mya Allen contributed eight kills and six blocks, while Hannah Parant recorded 33 assists. Dionii Fraga led the Crimson Tide with 12 digs, and Leilia Toailoa and Tea Simic each finished with three service aces.
The statistical picture reflected how competitive the match was. Texas finished with 54 kills to Alabama's 41 and hit .229 compared with .136 for the Crimson Tide, but Alabama created problems with nine service aces and 12.5 blocks. Texas finished with 12 blocks of its own, and that work at the net became especially important during the comeback late in the fourth set.
Alabama entered the match having lost its first three conference matches, but the record did not translate into an easy afternoon. The Crimson Tide scored at least 20 points in every set and held Texas below .180 hitting in the first two. After losing in straight sets at Texas A&M two days earlier, Alabama played with considerably more resistance in Austin and came within a few points of forcing a fifth set.
For Texas, the victory looked very different from the sweep of Mississippi State. That match had been defined by a season-best .438 hitting percentage and only seven attack errors. Against Alabama, the Longhorns committed 24 attack errors and were forced to recover from significant deficits in three of the four sets. The ability to win without playing nearly as cleanly became the more useful part of the afternoon.
The first and fourth sets were particularly revealing. Texas trailed 12-5 in the opener and 20-17 late in the fourth, yet neither deficit became decisive. The Longhorns found points through different parts of the lineup, used their block effectively when Alabama threatened to take control, and played their best volleyball near the end of both sets.
The win also completed a productive weekend at Gregory Gym. Texas returned home after a demanding road swing and collected victories over Mississippi State and Alabama, improving to 4-0 in Austin. With a 3-1 conference record, the Longhorns now head back on the road for matches against Arkansas and Oklahoma.
Texas is still searching for the consistency expected from a top-10 team, but the weekend showed two different ways the Longhorns can win. Against Mississippi State, they overwhelmed an opponent with offensive efficiency. Against Alabama, they had to absorb early runs, survive a lost second set and respond when the fourth appeared to be slipping away. It was not as polished, but it may have revealed more about how this group handles a match when very little comes easily.
University of Texas Volleyball
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