Match 11: No. 8 Texas Volleyball vs. Mississippi State
\nTexas: 5-5 (1-1) | Mississippi State: 11-1 (1-0)
\nFriday, Oct. 2 \u2013 6:30 p.m. CT
\nGregory Gymnasium | Austin, Texas
\nTelevision: SEC Network+
\nOn the Call: Play-by-Play: Max Kelton | Analyst: Zoe Jarvis<\/p>\n
AUSTIN, Texas \u2013 The Longhorns (5-5, 1-1 SEC) will play their first home match since Sept. 13, when they defeated No. 6 Wisconsin in four sets at Moody Center in front of 10,294 fans, the second-largest crowd in program history. Texas last played at Gregory Gymnasium on Sept. 2, sweeping No. 15 USC.<\/p>\n
The 30-day stretch between regular-season matches at Gregory Gymnasium will be the longest of the Jerritt Elliott<\/a> era.<\/p>\n Mississippi State enters Friday’s match at 11-1 overall and 1-0 in SEC play. The Bulldogs have won eight consecutive matches, including a five-set victory over LSU in their SEC opener last Sunday. Mississippi State is 4-0 on the road this season, while its lone loss came against Rice at the Jaguar Classic in Mobile, Alabama, on Aug. 30.<\/p>\n THE MATCHUP<\/p>\n
RANKED TEXAS<\/p>\n
STAFFORD’S SENIOR STEP<\/p>\n
SPEARS’ SECOND ACT<\/p>\n
NYA AT THE NET<\/p>\n
HARVEY IN THE MIDDLE<\/p>\n
BINNEY SETS THE TABLE<\/p>\n
\n\tFriday will be the third all-time meeting between Texas and Mississippi State and the first in Austin. The Longhorns lead the series 2-0, earning a 3-1 victory in Starkville in 2024 before sweeping the Bulldogs on the road in 2025.
\n\tTexas won the 2024 meeting, 25-8, 25-15, 21-25, 25-17, before taking the 2025 matchup, 25-14, 25-19, 25-15.
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\n\tTexas is No. 8 in the latest AVCA Coaches’ Poll and is one of five SEC teams ranked in the top 14, joining No. 3 Kentucky, No. 7 Florida, No. 11 Tennessee and No. 14 Texas A&M.
\n\tThe Longhorns have faced nine ranked opponents through their first 10 matches, including five top-10 teams based on their ranking at the time of the match: No. 1 Nebraska, No. 3 Kentucky, No. 6 Louisville, No. 6 Wisconsin and No. 8 SMU.
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\n\tSenior outside hitter Torrey Stafford<\/a> leads the Longhorns with 150 kills, 3.95 kills per set, 164 points and 4.32 points per set through 10 matches.
\n\tShe has recorded double-digit kills in each of the last six matches and four double-doubles this season. Stafford posted a season-high 28 kills and a career-high 66 attacks at No. 11 Tennessee (9\/25), adding 12 digs, four blocks and two aces in Texas’ reverse sweep of the Lady Vols.
\n\tShe recorded 12 kills against No. 3 Kentucky (9\/27).
\n\tStafford led Texas with 516 kills, 33 service aces and 580.5 points in 2025 while earning AVCA First-Team All-America and Southwest Region Player of the Year honors.
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\n\tSophomore outside hitter\/opposite Cari Spears<\/a> ranks second among Longhorns with 131 kills, 3.45 kills per set and 155 points.
\n\tShe has recorded at least 10 kills in eight of 10 matches this season, including each of the last seven. Spears had 18 kills in back-to-back matches against No. 8 SMU (9\/9) and No. 6 Wisconsin (9\/13), matching her career high against Wisconsin while adding three service aces and hitting .326.
\n\tSpears leads Texas with 14 service aces this season.
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\n\tSenior middle blocker Nya Bunton<\/a> has recorded 76 kills while hitting .408 this season, the fourth-best hitting percentage in the SEC, and has added 43 total blocks.
\n\tBunton collected her 100th career block against Wisconsin (9\/13), then established career highs with 13 kills and 25 attacks while hitting .480 in the same match.
\n\tShe followed with a career-high 14 kills and four blocks while hitting .393 at No. 11 Tennessee (9\/25).
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\n\tSophomore middle blocker Taylor Harvey<\/a> has recorded at least five total blocks in each of her last three matches, including solo blocks against No. 6 Wisconsin (9\/13) and No. 3 Kentucky (9\/27).
\n\tHarvey matched her season high with six kills at No. 11 Tennessee (9\/25). She also recorded four blocks and three kills while hitting .429 at No. 8 SMU (9\/9).
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