Texas volleyball, with its first No. 1 seed in three years, begins what coach Jerritt Elliott hopes is a three-week journey through the NCAA Tournament and a third national championship in the past four years on Friday.
The tournament for Texas (23-3) starts with a first-round match against Florida A&M at 7 p.m. at Gregory Gymnasium in Austin. The match could begin sooner or later, depending on how the first match in the Austin Quadrant between Penn State and South Florida plays out.
The two winners from Friday’s matches will meet Saturday at 6:30 p.m. in Gregory Gymnasium to determine a spot in next week’s Sweet 16.
Florida A&M (14-16) is making an NCAA Tournament appearance for the fourth time in the last five years after a surprising run to the SWAC Tournament title.
Follow along for live scores and updates from a NCAA Tournament first-round match between the Texas Longhorns and the Florida A&M Rattlers.
Ayden Ames is having her way at the net for Texas with three kills on three swings and three blocks, but it’s the diving saves from Emma Halter and Rella Binney that really get the crowd going.
That last post may have jinxed FAMU. Texas keeps swinging away, Abby Vander Wal comes off the bench for three quick kills, and Texas is on a 6-0 run.
FAMU is hanging in there early. The Rattler are making Texas work for its kills, and that’s all you can do as a big underdog.
Ayden Ames starts it off with a spike for Texas. NCAA Tournament first round. Winner faces Penn State tomorrow.
Penn State, the defending national champion, shook off a first-set loss and beat South Florida 3-1 and will face either Texas or Florida A&M Saturday at 6:30 p.m. in a second-round matchup. The Nittany Lions (19-12) have endured a rocky season that included the in-season departure of All-American setter Izzy Starck because of mental heath concerns, but they flashed their firepower against South Florida. Texas and Florida A&M will start at 7:08 p.m.
The matchup between Texas and Florida A&M will likely start after its scheduled time of 7 p.m., based on the current battle between Penn State and South Florida. The Longhorns and Rattlers need their allotted warm-up time, so their match will start approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of Friday’s first match at Gregory Gymnasium. Penn State just took a 2-1 lead after winning the third set.