Live updates from SEC match

After suffering back-to-back conference losses last week, Texas volleyball’s hopes of a first SEC regular-season championship are all but gone. But the No. 5 Longhorns (18-2, 10-2 SEC) still have plenty at stake in the three-game stretch that ends the regular season, which includes Friday’s trip to Gainesville, Fla.,

Texas remains No. 2 in the NCAA’s RPI rankings released earlier this week after a grueling schedule that includes eight wins over teams currently ranked by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. That means if the Longhorns win all three of their remaining regular-season games, they’ll all but be assured of grabbing a top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament and hosting a possible regional round.

“We’ve lost our rhythm in terms of how we’re playing the game right now,” Elliott said Sunday after the loss to the Wildcats. “And as I told the team, that falls on me as a coach. We’ve had really good play for a lot of the season, but right now, we’ve lost that a little bit. We’ve got to figure that out.”

That starts against mercurial Florida (13-8, 8-4), a talented bunch that has wins over No. 3 Pittsburgh and No. 19 Tennessee but has dropped matches to struggling squads such as LSU and South Carolina.

Friday’s match starts at 6 p.m. Follow along for scores and live updates from Texas volleyball vs. Florida.

A scorching start by the Gators and some errant swings by Texas, which has three kills and five hitting errors on 10 swings. Jerritt Elliott isn’t happy and takes a time out for the Longhorns.

Texas will start setter Ella Swindle, libero Emma Halter, defensive specialist Ramsey Gary, outside hitters Torrey Stafford and Cari Spears, and middle blockers Nya Bunton and Ayden Ames. Freshman middle Taylor Harvey, who has been in and out of the starting lineup, will come off the bench.

Florida will counter with outside hitter Jordyn Byrd, the former Texas who has blossomed after transferring to Florida, as well as Jaela Auguste, Alexis Stuckey, Ella Vogel, Emily Canaan and Kira Hutson.

Where: O’Connell Center in Gainesville, Fla.