Gregory Gymnasium felt like the venue for a championship match on Wednesday as the No. 4 Longhorns welcomed No. 1 Baylor to Austin with the winner set to emerge at the top of the conference standings. Despite being the lower ranked team, the Longhorns never felt like the underdog heading into the game.
With just two teams undefeated in Big 12 play and in contention for the Big 12 Championship, Texas volleyball enters this week with a golden opportunity.
When Texas volleyball head coach Jerritt Elliott took the podium on Monday, he spoke with a particular vigor — and for good reason. The Longhorns have had five consecutive wins in straight sets and are turning their sights on their impending clash against No. 1 Baylor.
The Longhorn volleyball team has dominated Big 12 play for the past decade, having won the conference eight times in the past 10 years. After a week of rest, Texas was ready to resume their strong performance with Big 12 teams against the Kansas State Wildcats.
Texas suffered a shocking road loss to then-unranked Rice less than two weeks ago. But 10 days after that defeat, the Longhorns appear to have officially gotten back on the road to a Big 12 Championship.
Last year when the Iowa State Cyclones came to Austin, they were swept out of town by the Texas Volleyball team. This year, that same team would not return to Ames, Iowa without putting up a fight.
While Texas head coach Jerritt Elliott is agog for the start of Big 12 play Wednesday, he still understands the need for rest and recovery for his worn-out squad.
