#5 Texas has, again, delivered an upset over another number one seed, Wisconsin, in the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Tournament. The Longhorns will now play for the National Championship title on Sunday for the second consecutive year.
The Badgers top ranked offense was constrained by the Longhorns’ defense to 0.223, well below their season average of 0.313. It was Texas libero, Emma Halter’s, stellar performance on the backrow that contributed to both thwarting Wisconsin’s offense and allowing freshman setter, Ella Swindle, to diversify her distributions across the front as the Badgers focused their efforts on shutting Big 12 Player of the Year, Madisen Skinner, down.
Texas accumulated 57 kills versus Wisconsin’s 42, served 11 aces versus their four, earned a total 56 digs versus their 44, and the Longhorn’s freshman setter, delivered 55 assists versus the 6-2 Badger offense that produced 40. Among the kill counts, the targeted sophomore Skinner still nailed 18, with Asjia O’Neal and Molly Phillips contributing 11 and 10 kills, respectively.
Sunday’s National Final will be another test for the number two seed, Texas, when they face one-loss and AVCA #1 ranked Nebraska. The Longhorns have demonstrated thus far that data doesn’t matter and their resilience in overcoming challenges throughout their matches, plowing through #2 Stanford and #3 Nebraska on their road to claim a back-to-back title. A victory would mark the first time Texas Volleyball has won consecutive titles. Fans can catch the game on ABC at 2PM CST.
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