No. 2 Texas Volleyball Edges No. 4 Louisville in Five-Set Thriller
The No. 2 Texas Longhorns volleyball team defeated the No. 4 Louisville Cardinals in a thrilling 3-2 match (23-25, 25-16, 21-25, 25-22, 16-14) at the Shriners Children's Showdown at the Net in Fort Worth on Wednesday. The win improves Texas' record to 5-0 on the season.
Key Performances
Torrey Stafford led the Longhorns with a dominant performance, recording 20 kills and 18 digs for her fourth double-double in five matches. Freshmen Cari Spears and Abby Vander Wal also had career-high double-digit kills, with 16 and 14 respectively. Junior setter Ella Swindle surpassed 1,500 career assists after registering 37 on the night.
Other notable achievements include Stafford now having over 500 career digs, and Emma Halter reaching over 300 assists in her career. The 5-0 start marks the third time in head coach Jerritt Elliott's career that the Longhorns have beaten four ranked teams within their first five matches (2009, 2022, and 2025).
| Player | Stat | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Torrey Stafford | Kills | 20 |
| Torrey Stafford | Digs | 18 |
| Cari Spears | Kills | 16 |
| Abby Vander Wal | Kills | 14 |
| Ella Swindle | Assists | 37 |
| Nya Bunton | Blocks | 9 |
Match Recap
Set One: Texas dropped the first set 25-23, falling behind early as Louisville took a 5-0 lead. Both teams recorded 16 kills, but Louisville's higher attack percentage (.292) and three blocks gave them the edge.
Set Two: The Longhorns rebounded with a 25-16 victory, holding Louisville to a negative .061 attack percentage and only seven kills. Nya Bunton led the blocking effort with three of the team's eight blocks.
Set Three: Louisville won the third set 25-21 with long scoring runs. They took a 20-16 lead off a seven-point run, holding Texas to its lowest attack percentage (.053) of the match.
Set Four: Texas rallied again in the fourth set, winning 25-22. Cari Spears led the charge with five kills, and Nya Bunton added three of her six blocks to limit Louisville to just 11 kills.
Set Five: After a quick Louisville start, Texas evened the set at 12 with a five-point run. The Longhorns then took four of the final six points to secure the match victory with a 16-14 score.
Looking Ahead
The Longhorns are set to host No. 9 Arizona State on Sunday, Sept. 14 at 2 pm for their first home match in Gregory Gym.
Replay and Highlights: Texas Volleyball vs Louisville
The Texas Longhorns, ranked No. 2, continued their challenging nonconference schedule with a match against No. 4 Louisville in Fort Worth. Mirroring their previous victory against Stanford, the Longhorns fought back for a five-set win.
Torrey Stafford spearheaded the Longhorns' effort with 20 kills and 18 digs, while freshman Cari Spears recorded a career-high 16 kills. Freshman Abby Vander Wal contributed 14 kills, including the decisive point, in the 23-25, 25-16, 21-25, 25-22, 16-14 triumph. Ella Swindle added 37 assists.
Emma Halter (17 digs, eight assists), Rella Binney (10 digs, seven assists), and Ramsey Gary (12 digs, five assists) provided a strong backrow performance, helping the Longhorns overcome 35 attacking errors.
Peyton Petersen led Louisville with 18 kills.
Just three days after overcoming a five-point deficit in the fifth set against Stanford, Texas repeated the feat. The Longhorns overcame a match point and an 11-6 deficit in the fifth set, winning on a kill by freshman Abby Vander Wal.
The Longhorns are currently on a 6-1 run, prompting Louisville to use its final timeout. A notable defensive play by Rella Binney and Ramsey Gary boosted the Longhorns.
Texas has made 33 attacking errors compared to 58 kills, representing the most errors by a Texas team in at least 15 years. The Longhorns must improve their accuracy to secure another comeback.
Texas is competing in their second consecutive five-setter after narrowly defeating Stanford. Louisville exhibited composure in the fifth set, recording seventeen blocks and hitting .400 compared to Texas's .132.
Freshman Cari Spears has achieved a career-high 15 kills for Texas. Torrey Stafford added 17 digs and 16 kills, including the set-winning point. The match is now tied at 2-2.
Texas aimed for a strong finish, but Louisville coach Dan Meske attempted to challenge a tip call. Louisville leads 2-1.
A series of runs defined the set. Louisville initiated a 7-0 run to overturn a 4-0 Texas lead, but the Longhorns countered with an 8-1 run capped by Ayden Ames winning a joust. Ames has five total blocks for Texas. Louisville leads 2-1.
The Cardinals have achieved a season-high of 14 blocks and are effectively responding to every Texas challenge. They are currently on a 7-0 run. Louisville leads 2-1.
A solo block and a block assist from Texas middle Nya Bunton propelled the Longhorns to a quick start in the crucial set. Timeout called by Louisville. Louisville leads 2-1.
A close replay went in Louisville's favor, placing the Cardinals one set away from inflicting Texas's first loss. Peyton Petersen of Louisville and Torrey Stafford of Texas are tied for the match-high with 13 kills, but the Cardinals have committed five fewer attacking errors. Louisville leads 2-1.
The Cardinals demonstrated their resilience after an easy opening schedule, while the Longhorns fended off three set points. The two teams are tied at 1-1.
Peyton Petersen executed her 13th kill down the left sideline for Louisville, triggering a 5-0 run. Timeout called by Texas coach Jerritt Elliott. The two teams are tied at 1-1.
The two teams are tied at 1-1.
Exceptional volleyball is on display in Fort Worth. The two teams are tied at 1-1.
Back-to-back blocks from Louisville. The two teams are tied at 1-1.
Torrey Stafford contributed five kills in the set, helping Texas recover. The score is even at 1-1.
Texas is currently executing well. Torrey Stafford has reached a match-high of nine kills, Devin Kahahawai is playing well off the bench, and the Longhorn block is slowing down Louisville's go-to attacker Peyton Petersen. Louisville leads 1-0.
Louisville has used its last timeout as the Longhorns maintain the pressure. Cari Spears and Torrey Stafford are leading the charge with seven and six kills, respectively. Spears also has three blocks, and Nya Bunton has four blocks. Louisville leads 1-0.
Texas aimed for a strong start. Freshman OH Cari Spears has seven kills, and Abby Vander Wal is impactful defensively. Louisville leads 1-0.
Texas falls behind 22-20, but Torrey Stafford capped a 3-0 spurt with her fifth kill. Set one: Texas 19, Louisville 18 Jerritt Elliott has been rotating in Rella Binney at the service line and Devin Kahahawai at the net late in sets, and it again pays off. Binney serves two quick points and Texas takes the lead on a Abby Vander Wal.
