In the second round of the 2025 NCAA Volleyball Tournament, the No. 1 seed Texas Longhorns (24-3) host the 2024 national champions, the No. 8 seed Penn State Nittany Lions (19-12). This will be the 20th
matchup between the two powerhouses with Penn State holding 10-9 edge in the series against Texas in a Saturday tilt that features the teams responsible for each of the past three national titles with the Longhorns winning back-to-back in 2022 and 2023 and the Nittany Lions taking the trophy last year.
Penn State has advanced to the round of 32 for the 45th straight time after beating USF (3-1) in the first round, and look to defend their championship against Texas. The Nittany Lions are third in the Big Ten in kills with 1,603 and fifth in assists at 1,492 with the aid of opposite hitter Kennedy Martin, who leads the nation with 618 kills and ranks second at 5.42 kills per set and 6.22 points per set. Penn State’s libero Gillian Grimes holds the back line and the fifth slot down with 430 digs. At the net, middle blocker Maggie Mendelson boasts a .374 hit percentage. The Nittany Lions have a deep bench with outside hitters Emmi Sellman and Caroline Jurevicius combining for 440 kills.
Texas leads the nation with 14.88 kills per 13.93 kills per set. The Longhorns sit fourth in the nation with a .310 hit percentage with help of middle blocker Ayden Ames, who ranks sits third in the SEC by hitting .393 alongside outside hitter Torrey Stafford holding the 10th spot down with a hitting percentage of .352. The junior from Torrance sits tenth in the nation with 4.67 kills per set and No. 13 with 5.20 points per set. Junior Ella Swindle is one the top setters in the SEC with 9.04 assists per set while senior Emma Halter holds the back line down shoveling 3.71 digs per set. The Longhorns bench provide fresh gas for the high-octane team with a trio of true freshmen, Cari Spears, Taylor Harvey, and Abby Vander Wal, and upperclassmen like Nya Bunton or Ramsey Gary. Texas advanced to the second round after sweeping Florida A&M and now eyes a trip to Kansas City for the Sweet 16.
First serve at Gregory Gym is at 6:30 p.m. Central on ESPN+. The winner will play against No. 4 seed Indiana in the Regional Semifinal.
