Match Preview: Texas Volleyball Set for NCAA National Championship Game

[HornSports Staff]

Photo: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports​

As The University of Texas Volleyball team enters the CHI Health Center in Omaha to play in their eighth NCAA National Championship match tonight, it has been an unprecedented and long sixteen months since their last appearance in the tournament.  A global pandemic later, the #4 seeded Longhorns will face the #2 seeded University of Kentucky (UK) Wildcats for the national crown.

The year rounds out Coach Jerritt Elliott’s twentieth, leading the 27-1 Texas team that on the road to the final game, only lost one set in any given match throughout the 48-team tournament. And, in the semifinal produced a three-game sweep of the undefeated #1 Wisconsin Badgers on Thursday night. 

The Wildcats journey isn’t dissimilar.  A 23-1 season record, with only one loss to SEC rival Florida who they subsequently beat, UK has also only lost one set in any given match throughout the tournament.  They also boast the league’s AVCA National Player of the Year, setter Madison Lilley, and AVCA National Coach of the Year, Craig Skinner.  Lilley has recorded over 30 assists in all but two of the team’s matches, including the tournament where in the semi-final she clinched 63.  Senior outside hitter, Avery Skinner, carried the team with 19 kills in their win over Washington joined by a trio of hitters earning 13 a piece including freshman, Madi Skinner.

Following an early loss in the 2019 tournament to unranked Louisville, the then younger #2 seed Longhorn team has congealed into a seasoned group loaded with an array of power-hitters and a defense both at the net and backcourt to support their efficient offense – with five of their hitters ranked in the top seven of efficiency for the Big 12 Conference.  From the middle, Brionne Butler and Asjia O’Neal earned 22 kills, both over .600 hitting percentage, against the Badgers in Thursday’s semifinal and are the catalyst for the Longhorn’s second rank blocks in the nation. AVCA First Team All Americans Logan Eggleston (OH) and Skylar Fields (OH), combined for 29 kills against top-ranked Wisconsin to secure the victory.

The Big 12 and SEC Conferences began their season play in the fall, unlike most other conferences with shortened seasons. This has provided experienced play over more teams and benefited their arrival to this moment.  Unforced errors and a strong service-game may be the determining factor in two teams that are well-balanced across positions.  The history between the programs shows the Longhorns holding a 3-1 lead, last meeting in 2018 with a Texas win in Austin.  Will the Texas Longhorns leave Omaha with their first National Championship since 2016 or the Kentucky Wildcats’ secure their inaugural title?

What:  #4 Texas Longhorns (27-1, 16-0)  vs. #2 Kentucky Wildcats (23-1, 19-1)
Date: Saturday, April 24, 2021
Time:  7:00 p.m.
Venue:  Chi Health Center Arena
Location: Omaha, Nebraska
Television: ESPN2