No. 9 Texas volleyball set to rematch No. 5 Wisconsin at the Moody Center

Texas volleyball will have an Elite Eight rematch against the Wisconsin Badgers at the Moody Center on Sunday. This will be the second time the Longhorns will compete at the Moody Center in program history.

The Badgers defeated the Longhorns in December, ending Texas’ 2025 season at home. Texas stole only one set from the Badgers and lost the match 1-3. Both teams have lost key players since then and now boast younger rosters this season. 

Texas lost senior libero Emma Halter, who started for the Longhorns all four years and was a critical contributor in the back row. The Badgers lost senior outside hitter Mimi Colyer, who dominated against the Longhorns during the Elite Eight matchup with 23 kills.

Texas and Wisconsin had the top two recruiting classes of 2026. The young talent on both teams has already made an impact on the court, stepping up in important moments and filling the positions left by graduated players.

For the Longhorns, freshman hitter Henley Anderson, who came out of high school as the No. 1 recruit in the nation, had to step up to fill in for sophomore hitter Abby Vander Wal after she tore her ACL at the Player’s Era Showcase in Las Vegas.

“It just (shows) how adaptable she is, and how much of an amazing player she is,” sophomore hitter Cari Spears said after Texas’ game against University of Southern California. “Which we knew because she did that before she got here … I feel like she’s taking the role really well.”

The Badgers have freshman outside hitter Halle Thompson, the No. 2 recruit coming out of the class of 2026. She has stepped up in a starting role to help fill the position Colyer once held.

“Halle is always going to be aggressive,” Badgers head coach Kelly Sheffield said in a post- match press conference. “There is no set that she doesn’t think she can get a kill on.”

Thompson garnered 11 kills in her second start of the season against Auburn at home on Sept. 3.

Currently, the Badgers lead Texas in wins, with an 8–5 record. The last time the Longhorns played at the Moody Center, they faced the Stanford Cardinal and barely closed out the game in the fifth set to win.

The match drew in a record-breaking crowd of 10,899 fans, setting a regular-season attendance record. The matchup between the Longhorns and Badgers is highly anticipated and is already sold out, according to Texas box office channels.

Before the Longhorns face the Badgers, they will face the SMU Mustangs on Wednesday, in Moody Coliseum. It will be an opportunity for them to gain a rhythm after being swept by the No. 6 Louisville Cardinals on Sept. 6.

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