Nya Bunton leads No. 9 Texas to revenge win over No. 6 Wisconsin

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Makenna Morgan

Texas players celebrate after winning 3-1 against Wisconsin at Moody Center on Sept. 13, 2026.

A sold-out crowd at the Moody Center in Austin formed a sea of orange and white as No. 9 Texas upset No. 6 Wisconsin 3-1. Texas got its revenge on Wisconsin on Sunday after the Badgers eliminated the Longhorns in the quarterfinals of last season’s national tournament.

The Texas attack was headlined by senior middle blocker Nya Bunton. Bunton showed up big despite the loss to Southern Methodist University this past Wednesday, and continues to provide for the Longhorns with a big role against the Badgers. Leading the team with a .480 hit percentage, Bunton finished third on the team with 13 kills.

“Nya’s always been this girl,” senior outside hitter Torrey Stafford said. “I think that we’re finding her more and our passing has gotten so much better that we’re able to run an offense where she’s really involved.”

Bunton was a key piece in a huge six-point run by Texas in a third set that could have served as the tipping point for the entire match. Bunton had two kills as the Longhorns rallied from down 10-8 to take the lead by four in a set they ultimately won, 25-20.

Bunton seemed to be aided by the play of a pair of Longhorn setters. Senior setter Ella Swindle saw an increased run in this game, rotating with junior setter Rella Binney depending upon position as Texas showcased a 5-2 scheme on the court.

“Both of them are amazing setters, we practice with both of them,” sophomore outside hitter Cari Spears said. “(Swindle) brings us a really good block in the front row and she gets us a really good ball up, and (Binney) runs a really good, fast offense and we run tempo from her.”

Swindle and Binney combined for 50 assists, including a career-high 44 from Binney, in the new scheme. The pair was more precise with their sets today, allowing hitters like Bunton to bring down the ball with more force. Swindle entered late in the second set and had an immediate impact on offense and defense. Swindle and sophomore middle blocker Taylor Harvey combined for a stadium-erupting block, closely followed by a Harvey kill assisted by Swindle to give the Longhorns a 17-14 lead.

Texas also put on a show defensively. Strong efforts from the Texas backline throughout the game pushed Wisconsin, who ended the game with a .197 hit percentage. Tough digs and clean play defensively helped push Texas to its third ranked-win of the season.

Texas showed improvement in a lot of facets today and looks to be learning from a tough start to the season in non-conference play. A big message for the team early has been to stick together while working through the changes.

“I think it’s a tribute to how much and how hard they’ve been working, but more importantly how much they believe in each other,” head coach Jerritt Elliott said. “They stuck together and they knew it was a long season… this is the joy of winning.”

Texas now takes a week off before conference play, in which the Longhorns will look to implement lessons learned throughout the early part of their season. Texas begins conference play on the road by taking on No. 19 Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. on Sept. 25 at 6 p.m.

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