Texas volleyball started the 2024 season with a bang, posting a 3-1 win over Wisconsin in the opponent’s home state in Milwaukee. As a two-time National Championship-winning team, Texas was slated at the No. 1 spot before the season even started. With the win over No. 3 Wisconsin, the team plans to keep hold of that momentum.
After two uncomfortably close sets, with Texas winning the first 30-28 and Wisconsin taking the second 23-25, the Longhorns rolled with the punches during the last half of the game to seal their season-opening victory. With seven aces, 10.5 total blocks and by keeping Wisconsin to a .153 hitting percentage, Texas had no trouble keeping the Badgers on their toes.
Senior Jenna Wenaas topped the leaderboard for kills with 18 total, garnering an extra two aces and two blocks. Senior Madisen Skinner posted 15 kills, three aces and a block. Redshirt senior Reagan Rutherford had 14 kills and two blocks for her debut with the Longhorns, while redshirt sophomore Marianna Singletary was responsible for nine kills and led the leaderboard for blocks with a whopping eight.
Both Texas setters had playing time on the court, with junior Averi Carlson setting for 34 assists and going down for nine digs and sophomore Ella Swindle giving out 12 assists and two blocks.
Defensively, junior Emma Halter led the team for digs with a career-high of 28. Wenaas was right behind her with 10; senior Keonilei Akana dished out nine digs and an assist.
Skinner took the game into her own hands for the first set, with eight kills in the opening quarter. Texas tanked out during the second set, allowing Wisconsin to score four in a row and giving the opposing team a very narrow lead.
As soon as the team set up on the court after half-time, though, its dominance couldn’t be stopped. The Longhorns held out an early 5-2 lead and kept it during the whole set, cruising to a 25-15 third set. That momentum carried over into the fourth and final set, with the Longhorns finishing the Badgers off with a 25-11 lead and a hitting percentage of .364. Rutherford played for five kills and a block during the last set, leading Texas to its first win of the season.
