After starting the season on a three-game road stretch, Texas welcomes fans back into Gregory Gymnasium as the defending national champions for their home opener against No. 2 Stanford. 

This will be the 31st all-time and third consecutive matchup between the Longhorns and Cardinals, with Texas winning both previous matchups in straight sets. Both teams enter this matchup with a 2-1 record and both ranked inside the top 10 at the time of the matchup for the first time since 2019.

On a star-studded court in front of a national audience, both teams come looking to prove that their early season losses are no cause for concern.

Texas started the season with a shocking loss to unranked Long Beach State despite losing just one game last season, but the team bounced back with victories against Loyola Marymount and No. 5 Minnesota.

Stanford opened with comfortable wins against Northern Colorado and Colorado State and then dropped straight sets to No. 8 Florida. 

Texas’ primary hitters, juniors Madisen Skinner and Jenna Wenaas, must be at their best to keep the win streak alive. Skinner leads the team with 40 kills, and Wenaas is not far behind at 34. Skinner and Wenaas are hitting .149 and .227, respectively. 

Stanford’s star primary hitters will be daunting, as fifth-year Kendall Kipp and sophomore Elia Rubin line up on the pins. Despite missing the first game, Kipp leads the Cardinals in kills with 36, and Rubin is just behind her with 35. Both Kipp and Rubin are hitting excellent at .384 and .343, respectively. They lead a Stanford team that sits in the top 10 in hitting percentage and kills per set.

Highly accoladed junior setter Kami Miner leads Stanford’s effective and efficient offense. Miner has 121 assists on the season and is tied for fourth in the country in assists per set with 12. 

The Texas offense lacks similar collegiate experience as true freshman Ella Swindle leads the Longhorns. Swindle is coming off her best game in her young career with 42 assists against Minnesota. Texas will need the freshman to step up big in the matchup and keep the Texas system running smoothly.

The Longhorns will also rely on the block as a critical focus headed into the match. The Longhorns are 14th in the country in blocks per set at just over three, despite star senior middle blocker Asjia O’Neal missing the first two games. O’Neal shined in her season debut against Minnesota, totaling eight blocks and seven kills. 

Texas faces an even battle on the national stage to defend its home court for the first time this season. The Longhorns take on the Cardinals on ESPN2 at Gregory Gymnasium this Sunday, Sept. 3, at 11:30 a.m.