Moody Magic
Previewing the remainder of the 2026 Texas volleyball out-of-conference schedule
Happy Friday and happy Juneteenth!
As you may have noticed, summer schedules have been a bit chaotic, so our posting schedule hasn’t quite been as stable as one would have hoped coming into this offseason. We’re a tad behind on the schedule previews, but this article will catch us back up! Buckle up because it is a long one with four opponents to look forward to, plus an update on the state of the 2028 recruiting class.
We also hope you’ve been enjoying the World Cup so far, and we also hope you’ll enjoy periodically looking back at your phone reading this article when it drops shortly before the USMNT kicks off against Australia. I’m personally enjoying watching our foreign visitors have their lives changed by Buc-ee’s, the concept of complimentary bottomless chips and salsa at a Mexican restaurant, and the sheer variety of options we have available in your neighborhood grocery stores.
Now let’s talk about Texas’ schedule this September.
USC
Match Date: September 2, 2026
Match Location: Gregory Gym - Austin, TX
2025 Record: 25-7 (15-5, Big Ten)
NCAA Tournament: #4 Seed, Lost to Cal Poly in Second Round
Postseason Rank: #17
Result v Texas: L, 0-3 (24-26, 20-25, 22-25) [2024]
Call it the return of Jerrittbowl as the inaugural Big Ten/SEC Volleyball Challenge sees the Texas Longhorns head coach face off against the program he once helmed in the University of Southern California. The Women of Troy will travel to Austin for the first time since the 2024 NCAA Tournament when the perennial Nebraska scapegoat Ally Batenhorst was still wearing the cardinal and gold.
Key Losses
S Reese Messer (7.0 pGIS, #11 player nationally at her position)
Key Returners
OH London Wijay (7.4 pGIS, #20)
MB Leah Ford (6.1 pGIS, #25)
OPP Abigail Mullen (5.2 pGIS, #59)
L Taylor Deckert (3.7 pGIS, #37)
OH Adonia Faumuina (3.7 pGIS, #100+)
MB Mia Tvrdy (3.5 pGIS, #81)
Key Additions
S Lilli Etter (1.3 pGIS, N/A) from Boise State
With the number of returning starters from last season’s rotation, USC has the look of a team that should expect to take a step forward in 2026. The upset loss to unseeded Cal Poly on their home floor should likely pay mental dividends for the Trojans this fall. London Wijay was one of the best hitters in the Big Ten last season, and the support of her surrounding battery should allow her to be even better.
Losing their quarterback in setter Reese Messer to the Kansas Jayhawks will hurt, however. It falls to Boise State transfer Lilli Etter and freshman Milly McGee to run the offense deep into December with USC’s returning talent. Etter didn’t play a ton for the Broncos, so it’ll be a bit of a trial by fire in the early season for either of USC’s options from the setter spot.
With a freshman class of five joining to provide depth for the Trojans, this is a team with a very high ceiling - but also a very low floor. If the freshmen come in and prove to be reliable options, this is a team that can fairly expect a lot more than a 2nd round exit. If the young players take time to settle in, however, this team could also find itself with an early NCAA exit once again. This early in the season, it would be unwise for Texas to take this team lightly, but with the talent Texas also returns, they should be able to defend the home court in Gregory Gym’s season opener without too much consternation.
Louisville
Match Date: September 6, 2026
Match Location: Bridgestone Arena - Nashville, TN
2025 Record: 26-7 (16-4, Atlantic Coast)
NCAA Tournament: #2 Seed, Lost to #3 Texas A&M in Third Round
Postseason Rank: #9
Result v Texas: L, 2-3 (25-23, 16-25, 25-21, 22-25, 14-16)
For the second year in a row, the Longhorns and Cardinals will be facing off in an (allegedly) neutral site match. In 2025, Louisville headed to the Lone Star State for a thrilling five-set match with Texas in Fort Worth at Dickies Arena. That match was a defensive scrap as both teams logged at least 15 blocks and hit in the neighborhood of .150. Cara Cresse was big for the ‘Ville (literally) while Emma Halter and Ayden Ames were critical for Texas, but both teams have undergone some significant changes since last September. This should be a fun one at the Broadway Block Party as the Live Music Capital of the World invades the Music City.
Key Losses
MB Cara Cresse (pGIS 7.6, #6)
Key Returners
OH Chloe Chicoine (pGIS 8.1, #7)
MB Kalyssa Blackshear (pGIS 7.6, #7)
S Nayelis Cabello (pGIS 7.1, #8)
OH Payton Petersen (pGIS 6.2, #43)
L Kamden Schrand (pGIS 6.1, #7)
MB Hannah Sherman (pGIS 4.0, #75)
Key Additions
N/A
Cara Cresse was one of the premiere middles in the country last season in no small part due to her dominant play at the net defensively. She led a once again elite Louisville squad into the NCAA tournament, falling to eventual champion Texas A&M (did Jerritt only schedule teams who lost to the Aggies??) in a reverse sweep. As one of the premiere programs around the country, Louisville still looks stout even in the wake of Cresse’s graduation.
The Cardinals remain loaded, retaining a significant amount of their production from last season. Kalyssa Blackshear was already the offensively-minded middle, and she now takes on a larger role as the primary MB for Louisville. Hannah Sherman played primarily in relief for Louisville last year, but her blocking performances in limited opportunities were not a massive step down from Cresse. As a senior, she also still provides the calming, experienced leadership that the Cardinals will rely on down the stretch.
Not unexpectedly, Louisville brings in a pair of strong recruits in their 2026 class to provide reinforcements, headlined by setter Blair Theibaud out of College Station, TX. Middle blocker Elli Strecker out of Indiana will likely be headed for a redshirt. Like many of the other major programs around the country, Louisville didn’t bring in any impact transfers to backfill after a handful of losses to the portal from their depth last season.
Much like last year’s match in Fort Worth, Louisville provides an exciting early season measuring stick for Texas as another team with bonafide national championship aspirations this fall.
SMU
Match Date: September 9, 2026
Match Location: Moody Coliseum - Dallas, TX
2025 Record: 27-6 (17-3, Atlantic Coast)
NCAA Tournament: #2 Seed, Lost to #3 Purdue in Third Round
Postseason Rank: #11
Result v Texas: L, 0-3 (16-25, 14-25, 17-25) [2023]
Fun Fact: Texas and SMU have faced off six times before this match, and every single one has ended in a sweep. SMU’s only win in the historic series with Texas came in 2000 in Dallas. Will the Longhorns and Mustangs be able to team up and give fans anything other than a sweep this time?
Key Losses
S Averi Carlson (pGIS 8.2, #1)
OPP Malaya Jones (pGIS 7.7, #11)
L Jordyn Schilling (pGIS 4.1, #28)
OH Kennedi Rogers (pGIS 3.4, 100+)
Key Returners
OH Jaydn Livings (pGIS 6.8, N/A)
MB Favor Anyanwu (pGIS 6.7, #14)
MB Natalia Newsome (pGIS 6.5, N/A)
OH Christa Wilburn (pGIS 3.6, 100+)
Key Additions
OH Suli Davis (pGIS 7.7, #13) from BYU
OPP Gabi Placide (pGIS 4.8, N/A) from Ole Miss
L Victoria Harris (pGIS 6.0, N/A) from South Carolina
As has been the MO for the Mustangs since the arrival of head coach Sam Erger on The Hilltop, SMU saw quite a lot of turnover on the roster once again this offseason. Former Longhorn Averi Carlson led the Mustangs as the #1 setter in the country according to our metric and supported by Malaya Jones offensively. The Mustangs regularly rotated their third pin hitter between Christa Wilburn and Kennedi Rogers in search of some stability, but the mix-and-match offense ultimately saw SMU fall in the NCAA tournament earlier than their stellar regular season record would have implied.
With the additions from the portal, returning OH Jaydn Livings looks likely to play second fiddle after a solid sophomore campaign in 2025 (she didn’t play in at least 75% of SMU’s games last year, thus why she was unranked in our metric). Anyanwu and Newsome returning gives Erger confidence in her middle blocker rotation and allows her to focus on rebuilding the rest of her offense around them.
To put things lightly, SMU has developed something of a reputation as a mercenary program, weaponizing NIL to great effect in the portal. This offseason was no different, snatching star OH Suli Davis from BYU, libero Victoria Harris from South Carolina (where she was the #1 player on the Gamecocks’ roster in 2025!), and opposite Gabi Placide from Ole Miss who had a stellar game against Texas last October. How those three massive transfers integrate - and how the setter battle between Kansas transfer Ellie Moore and redshirt freshman Hannah Beauford works out - will be the key to how much of a run SMU can go on this year.
Going up to Dallas should provide a big challenge for Texas early in the year, especially with limited tape on the new look Mustangs and the star power they’ve assembled all over the floor. Another can’t miss yardstick in OOC for the Horns.
Wisconsin
Match Date: September 13, 2026
Match Location: Moody Center - Austin, TX
2025 Record: 28-5 (17-3, Big Ten)
NCAA Tournament: #3 Seed, Lost to #1 Kentucky in National Semifinals
Postseason Rank: #5
Result v Texas: W, 3-1 (25-22, 25-21, 20-25, 25-19)
The 2026 edition of the match will feature a program that is no stranger to ATX. As Texas fans undoubtedly haven’t forgotten, the Badgers pretty thoroughly whipped the Longhorns in Gregory Gym in the National Quarterfinals to end their season last December. However, Texas did sweep Wisconsin to open the calendar last fall too. Significant changes to the Wisconsin offense make for another intriguing showdown with an elite red and white team in Texas’ non-con.
Key Losses
OH Mimi Colyer (pGIS 8.8, #3)
MB Carter Booth (pGIS 7.2, #8)
OH Una Vajagic (pGIS 6.3, #42)
MB Alicia Andrew (pGIS 5.7, #34)
Key Returners
S Charlie Fuerbringer (pGIS 8.7, N/A)
OH Grace Egan (pGIS 5.7, #51)
L Kristen Simon (pGIS 5.7, #12)
Key Additions
MB Jaela Auguste (pGIS 6.3, #20) from Florida
OH Eva Travis (pGIS 5.4, N/A) from UC Santa Barbara
It was the Mimi Colyer show for the Badgers in 2025. The Oregon transfer took the country by storm, finishing as a finalist for AVCA Player of the Year and landing at both the #3 pin hitter and overall player in our rankings from last season. But she wasn’t without support as middle blocker Carter Booth was also must-see TV. With Alicia Andrew also graduating, Wisconsin head coach Kelly Sheffield will need to rebuild his middle blocker room. In a big surprise, Serbian OH Una Vajagic made the decision to head for the warmer climates of Tempe rather than ascend to take over Colyer’s crown. Due to those four losses, Wisconsin will need to rebuild their attackers all but in full. Good news for any hitters in line for big playing time in Madison.
Charlie Fuerbringer is the best setter in the country, and it isn’t particularly close (Nebraska dorks can argue with a wall about Bergen Reilly’s claim). As long as she remains in Madison, the Badgers will be bonafide threats to win trophies. Returning Grace Egan on the pin gives Charlie a reliable hitter she has built chemistry with, and Kristen Simon’s continued presence gives confidence in the defense that will allow Fuerbringer to continue running the offense. Injuries held her out of multiple games in 2025 (she played in 24 of Wisconsin’s 33 matches), preventing her from landing on our season-long rankings by position, but that 8.7 pGIS is significantly higher than #1 setter Averi Carlson’s 8.2. Her impact cannot be overstated.
Kelly Sheffield was aggressive in rebuilding his middle blocker room, successfully reeling in Jaela Auguste from Florida; many Texas fans were hoping to see Auguste in Austin following Ayden Ames’ departure for Creighton in December. Whether Eva Travis’ game translates from UCSB to the Big Ten will be interesting, especially with four underclassmen champing at the bit to claim their own playing time in the Badger offense.
Outside of Nebraska, I think this is the team with the most legitimate national title aspirations on Texas’ schedule in 2026. The Horns will need the Moody Magic from the crowd behind them for the full match if they want to reverse their fortunes after being eliminated by the Badgers in 2025.
2028 Recruiting
By NCAA rule, June 15th was the first day that programs could begin making official offers to recruits in the class of 2028. In kind, the past several days have seen a flurry of commitments from the class, and Texas has been no stranger to the action.
Jerritt Elliott has already landed the verbal commitments of three elite recruits: S Taimane Ainu’u, OPP Sarah Floyd, and L Cala Haffner. All three are rated 5* by the major volleyball recruiting services who do that kind of thing; PrepDig lists all three in the top 10 recruits nationally.
While Texas continues to stack elite talent, there remains a noticeable gap in the middle of the court. Since the 2025 class, Texas has only successfully recruited two middle blockers in 2025’s Taylor Harvey and 2027’s Camille Presley. This is a frustrating development for a program that tends to pride itself on being MBU. Not all hope is lost in the middle quite yet, however. Prospects such as PrepDig’s #12 overall player Madlen Gloessner and #18 Amari Fraizer remain on the board as Texas looks to reload in the one spot on the roster which lacks depth heading into the fall.
Next Up
Team previews continue with the start of the SEC schedule. Texas opens conference play with the Tennessee Volunteers and the Kentucky Wildcats! See you next week! Hook ‘em!
Where did Christa Wilburn of SMU go?