Texas volleyball team falls from No. 1 after loss in season-opener
Following a split of its two games in the season-opening weekend in Southern California, the Texas volleyball team tumbled from its spot atop the American Volleyball Coaches Association to No. 7 in this week’s poll.
The Longhorns (1-1) fell to Long Beach State 3-1 in Friday’s season-opener but rebounded with a 3-0 victory over Loyola Marymount on Saturday. Texas will continue its current road trip on Tuesday against No. 5 Minnesota before returning to Austin for the team's home opener against No. 2 Stanford on Sunday.
After splitting its first two games, @TexasVolleyball falls from No. 1 to No. 7 in the latest AVCA poll. pic.twitter.com/KwYpizGrwN
— Thomas Jones (@ThomasJonesAAS) August 28, 2023
The Longhorns will meet Minnesota for the third consecutive season and the 13th time overall. The Longhorns hold a 7-5 advantage in the series and have won the last three matchups, including a 3-1 win in Austin last season. The game will mark a homecoming of sorts for Texas outside hitter Jenna Wenaas, who played three seasons at Minnesota before transferring to Texas in the offseason.
A year ago, Wenaas had 12 kills for the Golden Gophers in their loss at Gregory Gymnasium. She fired a team-high 10 kills for Texas on Saturday against Loyola Marymount.
More: For Texas volleyball newcomer Carissa Barnes, match much more than an exhibition
Texas middle blocker Asjia O’Neal, a preseason All-Big 12 selection, has missed the first two games of the season with an injury but could play against Minnesota.
Texas, which went 28-1 a year ago while winning the program’s fourth national championship, received 1,239 points and one first-place vote in Monday’s AVCA poll. Wisconsin topped the poll with 1,582 points and 50 first-place votes.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas volleyball team falls from No. 1 in polls after opening loss
