Viva Las Vegas
Texas volleyball takes on the neon lights of the Las Vegas Strip to face some familiar foes
“How ‘bout that ride in? Guess that’s why they call it ‘Sin City’.”
The Longhorns will be continuing the early season schedule with a second neutral site showcase following the opening weekend’s tilts against Arizona State and Marquette in Milwaukee, WI. While the Sun Devils present a strong opening opponent, the Player’s Era Las Vegas Showcase represents the true crown jewel of the out-of-conference schedule for Texas.
The Horns head to the city that made Alan, Stu, and Phil famous in The Hangover - played by Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, and Bradley Cooper, respectively - to renew arguably the biggest rivalry in college volleyball with the Nebraska Cornhuskers. And TCU will be there too, but that amounts to little more than a fun sideshow for the fans who make the trek to the desert, including yours truly.
TCU and Nebraska were NCAA tournament participants last season, both falling to eventual national champion Texas A&M (that still feels icky to write). But what do both of these teams bring back for another run in the fall? Let’s put it all on black and find out.
TCU Horned Frogs
Match Date: August 29, 2026
Match Location: T-Mobile Arena - Las Vegas, NV
2025 Record: 21-11 (10-8, Big 12)
NCAA Tournament: #6 Seed, Lost to #3 Texas A&M in Second Round
Postseason Rank: #18
Result v Texas: L, 0-3 (12-25, 17-25, 18-25)
TCU spent much of 2025 battling injuries while looking for ways to replace the production of outside hitter and former Longhorn Melanie Parra. While ending the year #18 in the final AVCA rankings and getting to the second round of the NCAA tournament is nothing to scoff at, the Horned Frogs will enter the season with higher expectations. Technically Christian University looks poised to take a step with a more experienced roster in 2026.
Key Losses
MB Sarah Sylvester (5.3 pGIS, #36 nationally at her position)
MB Alexis Roberson (3.6 pGIS, #80)
S Ella Foti (1.9 pGIS, #46)
Key Returners
OH Evan Hendrix (8.0 pGIS, #9)
L/DS Alice Volpe (6.8 pGIS, #2)
OH Jalyn Gibson (6.9 pGIS, #35) [2024, injured in 2025]
OH Becca Kelley (3.8 pGIS, #99)
OH Lauren Murphy (3.6 pGIS, #100+)
S Rosemary Archer (0.8 pGIS, #54)
L/DS Jaylen Clark (0.4 pGIS, #100+)
Key Additions
S Addy Horner (1.4 pGIS, #49) - Wisconsin
MB Reese Robins (4.7 pGIS, #57) [2024] - Louisville
Assuming no complications - NCAA, physical, or otherwise - for Jalyn Gibson after a knee injury ended her 2025 season after only two matches, the Frogs are set to have a very potent offensive attack with her experience alongside Evan Hendrix. Strong libero play from Alice Volpe should also be a calling card for the ladies in purple and black, coming off of what the GIS system declared a second team All-American resume last season.
Getting TCU early in the season should work in Texas’ favor in Vegas as the Frogs look to replace both of their starting middles from last season. How quickly the Louisville transfer, Reese Robins, integrates into the offense and blocking scheme for TCU could play a huge role in how competitive they are right off rip.
The Horned Frogs offense last year also featured the 6-2 scheme that Texas fans might expect to see out of the burnt orange this year. That makes the addition of Addy Horner from Wisconsin especially critical as she takes over the role departed by Ella Foti. Neither of the TCU setters last year were world beaters, so it’s not impossible that a strong spring and summer from Horner could result in their switch back to a 5-1 with the transfer as the quarterback.
The experience, depth, and talent that they have on the pins should carry the Frogs to still being a dangerous team this fall, but needing to replace middles and a setter gives me pause from my 1000’ view of the situation. They should be better in-conference at least, though likely not good enough to jump up and beat Arizona State for the Big 12 title.
Nebraska Cornhuskers
Match Date: August 30, 2026
Match Location: T-Mobile Arena - Las Vegas, NV
2025 Record: 33-1 (20-0, Big Ten)
NCAA Tournament: #1 Seed, Lost to #3 Texas A&M in National Quarterfinals
Postseason Rank: #3
Result v Texas: L, 0-3 (22-25, 14-25, 11-25) [2023 National Championship]
“I think we’re going to win three national championships the next three years,” said then-freshman Harper Murray to the press following Nebraska’s sweep loss against Texas in the national title match in 2023, the last time the two programs faced off. Since then, Murray has accumulated more mug shots than appearances on the floor of the national tournament’s final match. Even more hysterically, Nebraska has only managed to get further from a national title since that loss in her freshman season; 2024 saw Penn State reverse-sweep the Huskers in the national semifinal, only for Texas A&M to beat them in five sets in Lincoln in the national quarterfinals last season.
Loud. Wealthy. Arrogant. Also-ran. If you squint just a little bit, it becomes really hard to see the difference between Nebraska and the Dallas Cowboys. It’ll be fun to see how the Huskers fumble the title their fanbase has already anointed them with this December.
Key Losses
MB Rebekah Allick (7.2 pGIS, #9)
OH Taylor Landfair (3.5 pGIS, #100+)
Key Returners
MB Andi Jackson (8.1 pGIS, #1)
OH Harper Murray (7.4 pGIS, #18)
S Bergen Reilly (7.2 pGIS, #6)
L/DS Laney Choboy (3.2 pGIS, #43)
OPP Virginia Adriano (2.8 pGIS, #100+)
OH Teraya Sigler (2.8 pGIS, #100+)
L/DS Olivia Mauch (2.5 pGIS, #48)
For the second season in a row, zero Cornhuskers players entered the transfer portal, no doubt a testament to the fact that the entire state of Nebraska puts a premium on volleyball unlike anywhere else in the country, leading to the most robust NIL program in the sport. They graduated four seniors, only two of whom were regular players last season, while bringing in highly-rated freshmen in OH Gabriella DiVita, MB Keoni Williams, and OPP Jayden Robinson. Much like Texas, Nebraska did not add any incoming transfers.
As you can see above, they return no shortage of experience and talent this season: Andi Jackson is potentially the most lethal middle blocker in the country, Bergen Reilly is unquestionably an elite setter, and Harper Murray is a reliable weapon on the left side. The amount of time each will spend on preseason All-American watchlists this summer will only be exceeded by the amount of time they spend making videos to infect your TikTok FYP.
Beyond that, things start to get a little bit hairy for the Huskers: Italian Virginia Adriano saw quite a bit of play in 2025 but limited production in her first year in Lincoln, Laney Choboy and Olivia Mauch will continue to be a source of unlimited arguments for fans regarding the libero and DS spots, and Manaia Ogbechie was solid in the few appearances she made last fall behind Allick and Jackson.
With the amount of experience that returns, it is easy to see why Nebraska will very likely be the preseason #1 team once again. And while her blocking and competitive spirit may be missed, I’ll venture a guess that the locker room will be much more coherent with Rebekah Allick’s departure. Regardless, we’re all looking forward to what novel ways the Cornhuskers find in order to once again step on the proverbial rake in December and the subsequent conversations about whether the 2023 Nebraska recruiting class is the greatest to never win a national title.
Up next for our previews? We head home and then out to Music City for USC at Gregory Gym and Louisville in Nashville for the Broadway Block Party. See you next week! Hook ‘em!
"Since then, Murray has accumulated more mug shots than appearances on the floor of the national tournament’s final match." You should be ashamed of yourself for writing this line and then hitting publish.