Texas volleyball set for demanding 2026 schedule

Texas volleyball’s 2026 schedule offers no easy path

After finishing 26–4 and reaching the NCAA quarterfinals in 2025, head coach Jerritt Elliott’s squad will be tested from opening weekend through the end of Southeastern Conference play.

The Longhorns open the year at the American Volleyball Coaches Association First Serve in Milwaukee, Wis., starting Aug. 22, where they’ll face Arizona State and Marquette at Fiserv Forum. Texas swept Arizona State in 2025, but the neutral-site opener marks the beginning of a demanding nonconference schedule.

That challenge only intensifies over the next three weeks. The Longhorns will travel to Las Vegas for the inaugural Players Era Volleyball Showcase against TCU and the NCAA Preseason Power 10 Ranking No. 1-ranked Nebraska. The Huskers finished their 2025 regular season undefeated before being knocked out in the quarterfinals by Texas A&M during the 2025 Division I Women’s Volleyball Bracket

Texas wraps up nonconference play with one of the biggest home matches of the season, hosting Wisconsin on Sept. 13. Instead of hosting the game in Gregory Gym, the Longhorns will move the highly anticipated match to the Moody Center. Last year’s Stanford match was the sole game hosted at the Moody Center, which attracted 10,899 fans to set a new regular-season volleyball attendance record in Texas. With Gregory Gym seating roughly 4,000 viewers, the move gives thousands more fans the opportunity to watch one of the nation’s premier nonconference matchups.

The competition also carries added significance after Texas was bounced from the NCAA bracket by the Badgers during last year’s quarterfinals 3-1

If the nonconference slate wasn’t difficult enough, conference play offers the Longhorns no reprieve.

One of Texas’ biggest conference tests comes early in SEC play with a road trip to Kentucky. The Wildcats enter the 2026 season favored over the Longhorns by two points in the SEC Preseason Coaches’ Poll after finishing runner-up in the championship last year. Kentucky has established itself as one of the nation’s most consistent programs under head coach Craig Skinner, winning the SEC regular season competition for nine straight years.

The Lone Star Showdown takes on even greater significance this season as Texas hosts defending national champion Texas A&M on Nov. 1. As fans hope to watch the Longhorns seek vengeance on the court, it won’t come easy. With the match scheduled later in the season, it could have major implications for the SEC standings and NCAA Tournament seeding, as both programs are expected to spend the season near the top of the conference and national rankings

Beyond the rivalry, the match is expected to be one of the premier contests in college volleyball this season. Both programs begin the year ranked among the nation’s best, making the Lone Star Showdown a potential preview of another postseason meeting.

Texas will play ten regular-season home matches, including eight conference games at Gregory Gym. Additionally, the Longhorns will travel to seven road matches and five neutral-site contests. The schedule gives the Longhorns several highly anticipated home events but also forces them to prove themselves away from Austin early in the season.

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