Texas Longhorn's quest for a three-peat ended by the Creighton Bluejays

The Texas Longhorns were back-to-back National Champions. The Horns' volleyball team was unlike any other. With stars like Madisen Skinner and Emma Halter leading the way, Texas was on the hunt for their third consecutive NCAA Volleyball Tournament title.

However, in the Super Regional round, the three-seed Longhorns faced the two-seed Creighton Bluejays and had a tall task ahead of them to return to the quarterfinal round.

The Bluejays started hot, earning a four-point lead in the first set that was eventually dashed by Texas' consistency and poise. Just like that, the Longhorns were up 1 set to none. However, Creighton would not and could not be denied.

Over the next three sets, the Longhorns failed to pass the 20-point mark as the Bluejays won three straight sets, after dropping the first, to send Texas packing. This was the first time since 2019 that the Horns didn't advance to the Regional Final.

The appearance was Texas' 33rd time in the tournament and the Horns' 23rd appearance under head coach Jerritt Elliott.

Skinner, who transferred to Texas after her sophomore season and was a three-time National Champion (once at Kentucky, twice at Texas), saw the collegiate volleyball court for the last time in the loss to Creighton. The star Longhorn had an impressive 23 kills in the match but couldn't do quite enough on her own to carry Texas to a win.

Marianna Singletary was the only other Longhorn with double-digit kills at 11. Texas had 23 errors throughout the match, basically negating the offensive work that Skinner produced.

In the Regional Final (the Elite Eight for college volleyball), Creighton will face the winner of top-seed Penn State versus four-seed Marquette.

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