Well, this is certainly one way to start the season with a bang.
The Texas volleyball team is finally taking the court, and the No. 2 Longhorns are about to face the No. 12 Arizona State Sun Devils in their first game of the year, starting their gauntlet of a season with a top-15 matchup.
Head coach Jerritt Elliott has solidified the Texas Longhorns as one of the perennial powerhouses in the sport since he took over, much like Mike White has done with the Horns' softball program.
Elliott is looking to continue that legacy by pushing his team through one of the most difficult regular-season schedules before leading them through the SEC and NCAA Tournaments.
Starting the season with a top-15 matchup does exactly that.
How to watch No. 2 Texas volleyball vs. No. 12 Arizona State
- Date & Time: Saturday, Aug. 22, at 6 p.m. CT
- Location: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, WI
- TV/Streaming: FS1, fuboTV
- Tournament/Showcase: AVCA First Serve
Texas's first game of the season is part of the Jeep AVCA First Serve showcase, which features the Horns, the Sun Devils, the Marquette Golden Eagles, and a slew of other top-tier programs, including defending National Champions Texas A&M, No. 3 nationally ranked Kentucky, and more.
The Sun Devils are just the first of the many ranked teams that Texas will face this season, with 11 of the preseason top 25 currently on the Horns' docket (and one of the other 14 teams being Texas itself).
After taking on Arizona State on Saturday evening, the Longhorns will face the Golden Eagles two days later, at 7 p.m. CT, as the final game of the showcase.
The AVCA First Serve is just the first showcase that Texas will partake in this season, followed by the Players Era Showcase, where the Horns will face the No. 18 TCU Horned Frogs and none other than the No. 1 Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Simply put, Elliott isn't letting his players "soft launch" the season, with seven of the Longhorns' eight non-conference opponents residing in the top 25, and four of them currently sitting in the top 10.
Of course, once SEC play begins, the season won't get any easier for the Horns, and that's only followed by the conference tournament and then the NCAA Tournament, which always seems to present a challenging path for Texas.
The best news is that Texas is the No. 2 team in the nation for a reason. In part because Elliott is one of the best head coaches the sport has ever seen, but also because he returns so much talent from last season and added even more stars in the offseason.
Senior setter Ella Swindle, senior outside hitter Torrey Stafford, sophomore outside hitter Cari Spears, and redshirt middle blocker Nya Bunton are just a handful of the returning players expected to lead the Horns to greatness this season.
Starting the season with a top-15 matchup is exactly what Texas needs to get itself in the right mindset for the rest of the season. Now, all that's left to do is sit back and enjoy the action.
Add us as a preferred source on Google