The Texas Longhorns volleyball team looks to continue their winning streak as they enter the first round of the NCAA volleyball championship tournament. Texas enters as the third seed in their bracket and will play the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders at Gregory Gymnasium Thursday.
The Longhorns come in with a six match winning streak, including three straight wins against tournament-bound SEC opponents in Oklahoma, Tennessee and Ole Miss. As of late, outside hitter Madisen Skinner has gotten hot, leading the team in kills in her last five games, but there’s questions about her health as she missed the Senior Day game against Ole Miss on Saturday due to an illness. Should she be back for the first round Thursday, expect an attack-heavy, wall-like defense that plans to overpower their opponent on every hit.
Middle blocker Marianna Singletary has lived up to her expectations all year, and then some. She’s one of the best defensive players in the SEC, recording 128 blocks on the season, winning SEC Defensive Player of the Week three straight weeks in October and being named to the All-SEC First Team, along with Skinner. Texas ranks 15th in the NCAA in hitting percentage, Singletary ranks 12th in blocks per set.
As for Texas A&M-CC, they’re also coming off of a six game winning streak, including three straight wins in the Southland Conference tournament to qualify for the NCAA tournament. The Islanders rank 22nd in hitting percentage, and setter Alex Hoglund ranks third in the NCAA for assists per set and has experience against Texas in the NCAA tournament, leading the University of San Diego to a final four in 2022, eventually losing to Texas 3-1 in that round. Look for the Islanders to rely on her for leadership in this game due to her experience, but also look for Hoglund to be an assist machine and to try to help find open spaces for the Islanders to score. The Islanders want to outpace their opponents with ball movement and crowding the net, but also, in big games, look for them to keep the ball alive.
The keys for Texas to win are to keep to their fundamentals. Allow Singletary to make her moves on the ball and keep the Horns in control, and let Skinner overpower the other team at the net. Playing complementary volleyball should give them the firepower they need to over power the Islanders and win them the match. By simply starting hot and being on the same page, they can be the team that won two straight national championships.
For Texas-A&M-CC to win, they need to make the Longhorns uncomfortable, and fast. When the Longhorns hit a groove, it’s very hard for an opponent to recover, but in games where Texas is made uncomfortable, there’s just enough room for an opponent to sneak out a win, which can be seen in their three straight 2-3 losses from Oct. 23 to Nov. 3. Confuse the Longhorns, and the Islanders have a chance to slip in and make their mark with a win. They can’t let the Longhorn stars do their thing, because if Singletary and Skinner are hot, it’s very hard to overpower them. There’s no room for error for the Islanders, but it can be done.
