Texas volleyball has even more to play for after Abby Vander Wal injury update

Almost all injuries in volleyball are non-contact ones, it's a non-contact sport after all.

However, when Texas's sophomore outside hitter Abby Vander Wal went down against the TCU Horned Frogs over the weekend, most immediately feared the worst.

Vander Wal went to the ground as her knee buckled on her way down when she landed after an attack, and she stayed there until the officials blew their whistles. The Texas Longhorns' training staff came onto the court and helped Vander Wal hop to the sidelines, but it undeniably looked bad.

On Monday, she underwent an MRI, and the Horns confirmed that Vander Wal had suffered a torn ACL, most likely bringing her sophomore season to an end.

In a report from the Austin American-Statesman, a team official shared that Vander Wal would see an orthopedic surgeon on Tuesday, most likely visiting Austin Sports Medicine, Texas's go-to orthopedist over the last decade or so.

When news broke of the official diagnosis, the Longhorns shared a loving video and message for their starting outside hitter:

"Together through every moment, rooting for you always [Abby Vander Wal]," the Horns wrote.

In the video, Vander Wal can be seen in tears, sharing her own belief and love for her teammates:

"It's gonna be okay, we're gonna come back stronger," Vander Wal said. "But I had no doubt when Addy [Gaido] and Henley [Anderson] stepped up in that game; I had no doubt that they were going to do their jobs. And they did."

Longhorns have depth at OH to cover for Abby Vander Wal absence

And she's exactly right. While Vander Wal has been the starter this season and an absolutely dominant presence at that, head coach Jerritt Elliott has the depth of talent to ensure that Texas is okay while she recovers.

With Vander Wal on the sidelines, Texas closed out the Horns Frogs in three sets, putting on their best performance of the season so far.

Vander Wal earned just two kills before having to exit. When she went down with her injury, sophomore Addi Gaido and freshman Henley Anderson knew what they had to do, and they executed beautifully.

Gaido finished the game with one kill and one dig, and Anderson finished the game with a resounding eight kills, two aces, and one block.

Texas has looked far from its usual self this season, but the Horns showed flashes of their usual brilliance against TCU. As the entire program rallies around Vander Wal in her recovery, the team now has even more of a reason to fight for the results it wants: for her.

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