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Texas volleyball's quest for a sixth national championship begins tonight

by: Josh Florey7 hours ago

After a great season, Texas volleyball was awarded a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament and is trying to make the national championship for the third time in the last four years.

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Here is the possible path Texas has in the tournament. With the later matchups especially, there are a lot of assumptions about who will win, but upsets will most likely happen. 

Round of 64: 16 Florida A&M

FAMU has a 14-16 record, but won the SWAC Tournament granting them an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. With early losses to 6-22 Evansville and 11-18 Maryland-Eastern Shore, the Rattlers should not pose too much of a threat for the Longhorns. However, they have been hot as of late, winning 9 of their last 10 matches. This match is set to start 30 minutes after USF/Penn State, around 7 p.m. Central on ESPN+.

Round of 32: 8 Penn State/9 USF

Assuming the Horns aren’t a part of one of the craziest upsets in NCAA history, they will play the winner of the round one match between Penn State and USF. The reigning national champions, Penn State has struggled so far this season, going 18-12 and 12-8 in Big Ten play. The Nittany Lions have shown flashes at times this season, such as their sweep of Wisconsin, but haven’t been able to beat many top dogs with losses to teams like Nebraska, Pitt, TCU, ASU, and Kentucky. USF has a 17-12 overall record and is 12-4 in conference play. They’ve lost to teams like Florida, Minnesota, Kansas, and Rice.

Texas should be able to beat both teams soundly. 

Sweet 16: 4 Indiana/5 Colorado

Indiana is the 4 seed, and plays Toledo in the first round. Colorado is the 5 seed and plays American in the first round. The Hoosiers are 23-7 and 14-6 in conference play with wins over teams like Miami and Penn State but losses to Purdue, Wisconsin, and Nebraska. Colorado is 22-8 overall and 12-6 in conference, with wins over BYU, Baylor, and TCU but losses to ASU, Kansas, and Colorado State. 

Both teams are very solid, but Texas has beaten many teams of their caliber this season. 

Elite 8: 2 Stanford/3 Wisconsin

This is where the difficulty jumps for the Horns. Both Stanford and Wisconsin are excellent programs with excellent teams. Texas has already faced both teams once this season. They swept Wisconsin and snuck out a 5-set win in Moody Center against the Cardinal. 

Stanford has only lost four matches this season: Texas, Nebraska, Louisville, and SMU. All four of those teams are currently 1 or 2 seeds. Wisconsin has also lost four matches: Texas, Penn State, USC, and Nebraska, who are all tournament teams.

Both of these teams are very very good, but Texas has already beaten them each once and has the personnel to beat anyone in the country. 

Final Four: 1 Kentucky

Kentucky is another team Texas has already played, as the Wildcats swept the Horns in Austin on Halloween weekend and then won in 5 sets in the SEC Championship. The good news for Texas is they looked much better in the more recent match. The bad news is they still lost. Kentucky has only lost to Nebraska and Pitt, both 1-seeds. With wins against teams like SMU, Louisville, A&M, and Texas, they have one of the best resumes in the nation. Other teams that could make it out of the region include 2 ASU, 3 Creighton, and 4 USC, but Kentucky is the most likely bet. 

National Championship: 1 Nebraska/1 Pitt

Finally, if Texas makes it all the way to the National Championship, they would likely play Nebraska or Pitt. For most of the season, it looked like Nebraska and Texas were on a collision course as the two best teams in the nation. Nebraska has been extremely dominant, boasting a 30-0 record and wins over Pitt, Stanford, and Kentucky. The other 1-seed, Pitt, would most likely have to get through Nebraska in the Final Four. Tough, but doable. The Panthers have lost to Nebraska, Florida, Miami, and Stanford, with wins over teams like Louisville and SMU, beating both teams twice. 

Other possible teams that could make it to the National Championship include SMU, Louisville, Texas A&M, and Purdue. 

Regardless, to be the best, you have to beat the best, and Texas will have to beat a plethora of good teams if they want another national title. 

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