Texas Two Step
The Longhorns square up with two former Big 12 dance partners in a pair of big Texas matchups.
Old dance partners, same Texas-sized drama. As if the out-of-conference schedule wasn’t already hard enough, Jerritt Elliott decided to close out the early season campaign by sending a potential message to the Big 12 that the Horns still run this state with back-to-back play against TCU and Baylor. With SEC play just around the corner, Texas will be looking to close out a three game homestand against their old conference (Arizona State having become a member after Texas left) before a match against Vanderbilt in Austin the following week.
The fun in these matches is no doubt due to the old blood. I already wrote my distaste for the Horned Frogs in an earlier piece covering the beach volleyball team’s postseason run, and it may only be surpassed by my distaste for Baylor’s athletic department. A bit of bad history during the 2010s with their football program that went well beyond the field (and should have carried some heavier penalties in my opinion) amplified any feelings I had cultivated through conference matchups across any sport. A quick Google search of “the fall of Art Briles” can get you up to speed if you’re confused right now as to what I’m talking about.
Essentially, I enjoy any chance one of our programs gets to beat either of these schools. It's not a rent-free type of loathing, but it certainly gets my attention any time I see them on the schedule. It’s not personal, it’s just deeply satisfying (okay, maybe a bit personal too).
It bears mentioning that both of these squads were in the NCAA tournament last year even if they both lost in the second round. These aren’t mid-majors struggling to make the postseason in their best years - even in their down years both teams could steal one from Texas - and there’s no evidence that at least TCU shouldn’t expect another tournament bid this season.
Here’s hoping the Longhorn ladies have their good dancing boots on and show ‘em that no one puts Baby in a corner.
TCU Horned Frogs
Match Date: September 17, 2025
Match Location: Gregory Gymnasium - Austin, TX
2024 Record: 22-8 (13-5, Big 12)
NCAA Tournament: #5 Seed, Lost to #4 Oregon in Second Round
Postseason Rank: #25
Result v Texas: L, 2-3 (25-14, 22-25, 25-21, 23-25, 13-15) [2023]
The Longhorns’ last matchup against TCU was at Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth in a back-and-forth battle that required Texas to hold off TCU in two consecutive sets to overcome a 2-1 set deficit. That match drew a record-setting crowd for TCU - not only for volleyball but for women’s sports in general at the school - as TCU hoped to hand Texas its first conference loss of what would wind up being a National Championship campaign. The Horned Frogs recorded 74 kills in that match, their highest in 20 matches so far that year. Again: bad blood.
Middle blocker (MB) Sarah Sylvester was one of two TCU players to start in all 32 matches that year, and she is returning for her senior season in 2025. Last season, she played in all 113 sets and managed to reach the top ten all-time number of career blocks for TCU with 329. She was the second-leading in blocks for the entire Big 12 conference last season as well.
Another veteran leader in the front court for the Horned Frogs will be outside hitter (OH) Jalyn Gibson, also entering her senior season. She also played against Texas in 2023 and earned her first of two AVCA All-Southwest Region and All-Big 12 honors that year (she earned Big 12 second team honors that year and followed it up with first team honors in 2024). Last season she recorded her highest single-season mark for kills at 380 - for comparison, Madisen Skinner had 409 over that same stretch - including double-digit kills in 22 matches.
At libero I expect sophomore Alice Volpe will continue to start, an honor she earned in the final 15 matches of TCU’s 2024 season. The Cypress, Texas native garnered all-conference honors as she was named to the 2024 All-Big 12 Rookie Team. Despite not starting for most of the season she was able to rack up 308 digs. Oh, and if her last name isn’t familiar to you, don’t worry: you’ll be able to see her mom, Genny Volpe, in the flesh in Texas’ earlier match against Rice as she’s their head coach (and has been for 22 years). Joining her in the back court will be junior Jaylen Clark, who primarily fills in defensive specialist and serving specialist roles.
TCU grabbed a couple of experienced transfers in the portal this season too, including setter Rosemary Archer who recorded 970 assists and 250 digs last season to include 10 double-doubles. Emily Van Groningen transferred in for her senior season from Pacific to provide support at the MB position. In her second year with TCU after transferring from West Virginia, senior Melanie McGann also brings some veteran leadership to the bench.
TCU lost Melanie Parra after last season. The OH from Sinoloa, Mexico was one of the most decorated players in TCU history and will certainly be missed by the Horned Frogs this upcoming year. She recorded 18 kills, 10 digs, and 3 aces in her final collegiate match in the NCAA tournament. Setter Stephanie Young also left the team after transferring in as a graduate student last year and providing 116 assists.
Even with the loss of Parra, TCU’s strength comes from a core group of players that have been with the team for several seasons. TCU targeted the transfer portal this offseason to provide needed bench support, but it is clear that they expect their rising seniors to lead this squad and are hoping Gibson can do a good enough job following in the footsteps of Parra at OH.
TCU is not a squad to sleep on - they are experienced and many players have tournament experience. They’ll surely be hoping to head back up I-35 with a road steal against an old Big 12 opponent in their pocket. They can try to steal a win, but Gregory’s no place for Frogs to leap.
Baylor Bears
Match Date: September 19, 2025
Match Location: Gregory Gymnasium - Austin, TX
2024 Record: 23-8 (14-4, Big 12)
NCAA Tournament: #4 Seed, Lost to #5 Dayton in Second Round
Postseason Rank: #20
Result v Texas: L, 0-3 (17-25, 23-25, 24-26)
Texas had an out-of-conference match against the Bears last season in the Ferrell Center in Waco that saw the #8 Horns overcome an 18-22 deficit in the third set to sweep #20 Baylor on their home court. This ended up being a bounce back match for Texas who had just been swept themselves by #2 Stanford three days earlier (yes, Elliott loves tough schedules) in front of the 8th largest-ever crowd at Ferrell.
You can bet Baylor will be hoping to pay back Texas this season when they make the short trek down to Austin - again, bad blood - and this team has some (keyword some) firepower from their 2024 tournament squad that will be personally looking for revenge. Graduate MB Manuela Bibinde recorded 3 blocks against the Horns last season, part of her 62 on the season. She was named to the All-Big 12 Second Team and AVCA All-Southwest Team in 2023, her first year with the Bears.
Joining her at OH will be junior Kendal Murphy. The 6’3 Scottsdale, Arizona native was named the MVP of 2024’s Baylor Classic after recording 30 kills on a .460 hitting percentage across three matches. In total, she had 261 kills, 227 digs, and 33 blocks across her 109 sets played in her sophomore season. In the season-ending loss to Dayton, she played well with 9 kills and 8 digs.
Junior Tehani Ulufatu will bring experience to the backcourt for the Bears; she made 15 starts as a defensive specialist last year and played 109 sets in total with 195 digs and 20 service aces. Grace Carroll had 7 kills against Texas last year from the opposite hitter position and played in both rounds of tournament play.
And here we see a lot of the problems facing Baylor this season. Many of their returning and more senior players played limited roles in the previous season. Lauren Briseño, the excellent libero - she was selected to the 2025 USA Women's U23 National Team for the NORCECA U23 Pan American Cup - graduated last season. She leaves the Bears squad in the top ten all-time for career digs.
OH Elise McGhee was drafted in the fifth round of the Pro Volleyball Federation after earning All-AVCA Southwest Region and All-Big 12 First Team honors in her senior campaign. That’s 414 kills, 54 blocks, 189 digs, and a team-high 44 service aces in a single season that just walked off the court for the Bears. She basically ran her own private clinic every time she stepped behind the line.
Setter Harley Kreck played well against Texas in 2024 with 10 assists and 7 digs, but she will only be a redshirt sophomore this year and still has limited playing time overall. Senior MB Alicia Andrew transferred to Wisconsin after posting 169 kills, 36 digs, and a team-high 103 total blocks last year.
This Baylor team roster has lost a lot this offseason and hasn’t been able to do much to staunch the bleeding. Where Texas saw some experienced players leave, Elliott answered with some key portal pickups and the Longhorns benefited from a “next woman up” mentality. Conversely, Baylor didn’t make much noise in the portal and it is hard to see how their extremely young team has the ability to fill vital holes in talent now.
This may be a great set-up match for Texas before heading into SEC play. The Longhorns were able to sweep the Bears with Baylor sporting a much stronger roster and more experience last season compared to what they have now. This year’s Baylor squad looks more like a fixer-upper than a Final Four contender.
Look, I’m a city girl and don’t want to count my chickens before they hatch - I don’t even know how - but I feel good about Texas sending the Bears packing and sulking back up to the farmland of Waco. It's fitting for an athletic department that is less deserving of attention than a pair of silos built off an empire of HGTV reruns.
