Texas Falls to No. 16 After Weekend Split With One Week Left

Eight opponent aces exposed Texas’s serve-receive and left its SEC seeding hinging on the final regular-season matches.

Overview

The American Volleyball Coaches Association poll released Nov. 9 dropped Texas to No. 16 after the Longhorns moved to 13-8 overall and 9-4 in SEC play.
Texas split a weekend road trip by sweeping unranked Missouri before losing to Vanderbilt in five sets, a sequence that directly influenced the ranking move.
Outside hitter Torrey Stafford led the Longhorns with 20 kills over the weekend while Texas’s serve-receive allowed eight aces by Vanderbilt, a specific execution problem cited as decisive.
Vanderbilt climbed to No. 15 after the win and could secure a top-four SEC seed and a tournament double-bye if it wins out, which keeps seeding scenarios unsettled for Texas.
Texas returns to Austin to play Ole Miss at 6:30 p.m. Friday in Gregory Gymnasium, a match that will be crucial for final SEC seeding and for the team to shore up serve-receive ahead of the conference tournament.