No. 15 Volleyball preview: at Mississippi State

No. 15 Texas Volleyball at Mississippi State

Texas: 12-6 | Miss State: 10-8

Wednesday, Nov. 6 – 6 p.m. CT

Newell-Grissom Building | Starkville, Miss.

Television: SEC Network+

THE MATCHUPS

The Longhorns head back on the road to face Mississippi State on Wednesday night at the Newell-Grissom Building in Starkville. This will be the first ever meeting between Texas and Mississippi State. Along with Mississippi State, Texas faces several unfamiliar opponents as part of its first SEC schedule. Texas and South Carolina met for just the second time ever in October and the Longhorns faced the Razorbacks for just the third time in history. Texas will also play Auburn and Ole Miss for just the second time in program history and Texas and Alabama will meet for the first time.

THE WINNING STREAK

Texas played extremely well for a long stretch of the season, winning nine-consecutive matches including the first seven SEC matches. During that winning streak, Texas hit .300 and averaged 14.13 kills per set, 13.07 assists per set and 2.82 blocks per set. For the season overall, Texas is hitting .259 and averaging just 12.99 kills per set, 12.03 assists per set and 2.53 blocks per set. 

SINGLETARY’S DOMINANT STRETCH

Middle blocker Marianna Singletary put together a dominant stretch of matches in October and was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week for three-consecutive weeks. Singletary was also named the league’s Player of the Week in two of those three weeks. For the season she has 100 total blocks and ranks sixth in the nation with 1.52 blocks per set. She also has 118 kills and a .318 hitting percentage for the season. 

SEC ERA UNDERWAY

Texas embarked on a new era in the SEC and got out to a great start, winning the first seven league matches. The Longhorns have a long history of conference dominance with 29 all-time league championships, including 16 Big 12 titles and 13 Southwest Conference Championships. The 2023 title was a record seventh-straight Big 12 Championship for the Longhorns, who won or shared 12 of the last 13 league championships and 15 of the previous 17. Texas departed the Big 12 Conference having won more league championships than any other program. 

REIGNING NATIONAL CHAMPIONS

The Longhorns entered the season as the back-to-back National Champions after sweeping Nebraska in the 2023 title match in Tampa, Fla. Texas returns five starters from the title-winning team, including NCAA Final Four All-Tournament team members Madisen Skinner, Ella Swindle and Emma Halter. The 2023 National Championship was the program’s fifth after winning the AIAW title in 1981 and NCAA titles in 1988, 2012 and 2022. 

NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST

The Longhorn trio of Reagan Rutherford, Madisen Skinner and Marianna Singletary have been named to the AVCA Division I National Player of the Year watch list. The trio are recognized among 49 players from 25 schools on the watch list. The list will be narrowed down in November, and the committee can add players not from the original group to the November list. The last step is revealing the names of the finalists, which will be released before the AVCA Convention. Then, the 2024 AVCA Player of the Year will be announced on Friday, Dec. 20, in Louisville, KY, during the Convention.

SENIOR SKINNER

Madisen Skinner cemented herself as one of the best players in the country last season and is among the top returning players in 2024. With over 1,700 career kills, Skinner ranks 14th in career kills amongst active players in Division I. A three-time National Champion and the 2023 VolleyballMag.com National Player of the Year, Skinner is in her final season of college volleyball in 2024. Last season, Skinner ranked sixth nationally with 4.80 kills per set and seventh with 547 total kills. Her 547 kills were the third-most ever by a Longhorn player and the most since Mira Topic (593) in 2004. Skinner stepped up her play in the postseason, averaging 5.43 kills per set with a .316 hitting percentage and was named the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player. 

ROAD WARRIORS

The Longhorns have won 45 of their last 50 road matches dating back to the 2019 season. Since the 2011 season Texas has produced a 125-23 (.845) record in true road matches, with only seven of those losses coming to unranked teams. 

RANKINGS

Texas, who was picked first in the SEC Coaches’ Poll, is one of three SEC teams in the top-25 as Kentucky checks in at No. 13 and Florida is ranked 22nd. In non-conference play, Texas faced four nationally ranked teams – Wisconsin, Minnesota, Stanford and Baylor. Texas began the 2024 season as the No. 1 ranked team in the AVCA Preseason Coaches’ Poll for the fifth time (2013, 2017, 2021, 2023, 2024). The Longhorns appeared in the top four of the AVCA preseason poll for the 18th-consecutive season and were ranked in the top two spots for the 11th time in the last 18 seasons. 

RANK AND FILE

UT owns a 158-61 (.721) record against ranked opponents over the last 21 seasons (2004-24) and boasts a 71-15 (.826) home mark against ranked opponents at Gregory Gymnasium (68-15) and the Frank Erwin Center (3-0) during that span. The Longhorns went 14-2 last season against ranked opponents.

ATTENDANCE

The Longhorns have extended their sell-out streak to 37-straight matches dating back to the 2022 season. Texas ranked fifth nationally last season with an average attendance of 4,495 in 16 home matches. The Longhorns sold out all 16 home matches in 2023 and finished the 2022 season with 12-straight sellouts at Gregory Gym. In the 2022 NCAA Regional Final against Ohio State, Texas set a Gregory Gym attendance record with a crowd of 5,344. 

USA VOLLEYBALL HALL OF FAME

Jerritt Elliott, the winningest coach in Texas Volleyball history, joined USA Volleyball’s Hall of Fame in 2023. Elliott received USA Volleyball’s All-Time Great Coach Award, which recognizes individuals for success and excellence in volleyball coaching over an extended period. With 561 wins at Texas, Elliott surpassed Mick Haley as the winningest coach in Longhorns’ history. Elliott also picked up his 600th career win last season and entered the 2023 season with a career record of 639-126.

MBU

For more than two decades under head coach Jerritt Elliott, the Longhorns have had a legacy of All-American middle blockers starting with Leticia Armstrong (2003-08) and Brandy Magee (2003-07) before continuing on with Lauren Paolini (2005-08), Rachael Adams (2008-11), Khat Bell (2011-14), Molly McCage (2012-15), Chiaka Ogbogu (2013-17), Brionne Butler (2017-21) and Asjia O’Neal (2019-23). These nine All-American middle blockers earned a total of 25 All-America honors dating back to 2005.

MBU CONTINUED…

Following the graduation of All-American Asjia O’Neal, a pair of young players are prepared to carry on the legacy of great middles blockers at Texas. Ayden Ames is the Longhorns’ first starting true freshman middle blocker since Chiaka Ogbogu in 2013. Redshirt sophomore Marianna Singletary is having a breakout season and has been named SEC Defensive Player of the Week three times. The Longhorns finished third nationally with 2.89 blocks per set last season, with double-digit blocks in 21 of the 32 matches last season.