The No. 2 Texas Longhorns extended their undefeated start to the season to 13 games after taking down No. 17 Tennessee Volunteers in five sets (25-22, 19-25, 25-17, 23-25, 15-7. The Vols are the ninth
top-25 team the steadfast Longhorns have beat during the 2025 campaign.
In the first set, the Longhorns and Vols were tied six times and exchanged the lead four times. The Longhorns jumped out to an early 8-3 lead led by junior outside hitter Torrey Stafford, who paced the Longhorns with nine kills and a hitting percentage of .529 in the opening set. Texas limited the Tennessee offense to a .273 hitting percentage, but the Vols managed to keep the first set close throughout. Junior setter Ella Swindle lent a hand with 11 assists along with four digs as Texas ended the first set with a 5-0 run to win it 25-22.
In the second set, the Vols jumped out early and led the entirety. The last time Texas dropped a set was Sept. 10 against Louisville, but Tennessee leveled out the match 1-1 with a 25-19 win as the Longhorns made eight attacking errors, four by Stafford and four by freshman outside hitter Cari Spears, and the Volunteers hit .379 in a balanced effort.
As the third set commenced, the Longhorns expanded their lead, but the Vols kept it tight with the help of the junior outside hitter Mackenzie Plante until the Longhorns broke away with a 6-1 scoring run to eventually finish the set 25-17. The Longhorns were highlighted by Stafford and true freshman outside hitter Abby Vander Wal, who combined for nine kills, while Swindle ended the set with 10 assists.
The fourth set was the closest match of the night, ending 25-23 in favor of the Volunteers. Senior libero Emma Halter held the back line down, recording 6 digs with Swindle notching another 11 assists for Stafford and Spears to combine for 11 kills, but Tennessee recorded a match-high .441 hitting percentage thanks to 17 kills and only two attacking errors. Down the stretch, the teams traded kills, but the Vols had already taken a a 21-19 lead on a kill and a service ace that forced a timeout by the Longhorns, enough separation to take the set.
In the fifth and final set, Texas jumped out defensively, holding Tennessee to a -0.59 hitting percentage while the Longhorns offense was red hot with a hitting percentage of .538. The Longhorns totaled six blocks to hold down the hitting percentage for the Vols, as Stafford and sophomore middle blocker Ayden Ames recorded two each. The five-set battle handed Tennessee its first loss in conference play as Texas took the fifth set 15-7.
After entering the match leading the nation in hitting percentage at .334, Tennessee was held to .262, the team’s third-lowest mark of the season. With 30 kills, Stafford set her career high, as did Swindle with 48 assists, recording her fourth double-double of the season thanks to 12 digs. The 14 kills and 11 digs from Sears marked the first double-double of her promising young career.
Next, still-undefeated Texas heads to Tuscaloosa to face Alabama on Sunday at 2 p.m. Central on SEC Network+.
