Texas Volleyball falls to #7 as they face #5 Minnesota on the road

Following their shocking upset to unranked Long Beach State as they opened the season, the Texas Longhorns have dropped from the #1 slot to #7 and will play their first ranked opponent, #5 Minnesota, tomorrow in Minneapolis at 7:00PM.  This and their upcoming game against #2 Stanford in Austin on Saturday at 11:30AM will be a huge test of their ability to compete for another national title.

This season alone, three of the top five NCAA ranked teams are from the Big 10 Conference.  As they opened their season, Minnesota was easily victorious over Big 12 teams TCU (3-1) and #16 Baylor (3-0). Versus the Horned Frogs, the Gophers registered 52 kills, with a hitting efficiency of 0.269 for the match, and defensively earned 67 digs and nine blocks.  Similarly, their offense’s efficiency against the Bears was 0.294 with 36 kills and another impressive defensive performance – 12 blocks and 45 digs. While they lost outside hitter Jenna Wanaas (OH) to the Longhorns in a transfer, sophomore Mckenna Wucherer has led Minnesota’s offense and senior Phoebe Awoleye (MB) has solidly defended the net. Not to be outdone, their fifth-year Libero Kylie Murr was just named Big 10 Defensive Player of the Week.

As a member of the Big 10, Minnesota is accustomed to competing against some of the country’s best programs, and tomorrow’s match will be no different.  Texas Longhorn Coach Jerritt Elliott and crew have had little time since their subpar performances to evaluate and adjust, moreover build a rhythm among returners and rising stars. Tomorrow will be a fierce competition for the reigning champions but an opportunity of redemption from their troubled start. Catch the game on ESPN2.