For most of the season, it looked like the Southeastern Conference tournament would providing an opportunity for Texas volleyball to affirm its dominance on a highly competitive stage.
However, following a faltering finish to conference play, the narrative seems to have shifted from affirmation to redemption.
“We’ll get another shot at the SEC tournament,” head coach Jerritt Elliott said after his team was swept by No. 2 Kentucky. “We got two chances in this thing, and again, the goal here at Texas is to get to the Final Four and have a chance to win a national championship.”
The loss against Kentucky came just two days after the Texas A&M Aggies terminated the Longhorns’ undefeated streak in a five-set thriller in Aggieland on Halloween. The matchup seemed to propel Texas into somewhat of a slump — one that raises the stakes of the upcoming tournament even more.
Set to take place in Savannah, Georgia, from Nov. 21-25, the SEC Championship gives Texas the chance to demonstrate they didn’t hit their peak too early in 2025.
“It’s hard to play a full season for any sport and peak at the right time,” Elliott said. “We’ve lost that. And so, the cool part about this is we can reinvest in that.”
The reinvestment portrayed itself in two bounce-back victories for the Longhorns against Florida and Auburn, and they have one matchup remaining in the regular season against South Carolina on Sunday.
However, the most challenging task for this team will likely be proving themselves against the programs that just defeated them.
Kentucky climbed to No. 2 after taking Texas down, and the Aggies currently hold the No. 6 position nationally. They are subject to provide staunch competition for the Longhorns in the tournament, and coming out on top would help reestablish the Longhorns as the SEC team to beat.
The Wildcats are undefeated in conference play currently, and they will wrap up their regular season against unranked Oklahoma and Arkansas. Texas A&M will close out against unranked Georgia, and then the games will begin in Savannah in the form of a 16-team bracket.
Tennessee also currently sits in the top 25 at No.19, and despite the fact that the Longhorns beat them 3-2 earlier in the season, they could pose a major threat next weekend.
Ultimately, Texas hopes to use the SEC tournament as a launching pad for a successful NCAA tournament run.
“The ultimate goal is the last game of the season,” senior libero Emma Halter said after the matchup against Kentucky. “We’re going to take every game as a learning experience. We talked about it the other day, but you don’t learn if you don’t apply. So we’ve got to apply these past two games. We’ve got to get better at volleyball, and I know this team will.”
Just how much better they’ve gotten will be on full display in Savannah, Georgia, in two weeks from now.
