The Longhorn Volleyball Team is in the Final Four for the third straight year. You can watch it online or on ESPN2 at 6PM, but definitely join everyone in the open thread.

Go Horns!

By Saturday night, any doubts about whether Texas is still a dominant force in volleyball were extinguished. Not surprisingly, the "gazelles" absolutely dominated the Burnt Orange Classic. 

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Longhorn volleyball and football play on Saturdays just a block away from each other. Despite an obvious disparity in attention, their recent campaigns were remarkably similar. Much like football, the "Gregory Gazelles" kicked off their 2009 season highly ranked due largely to senior leadership. After cruising through the regular season, the Horns finally caught up with the Nittany Lions in the National Championship. A two-set lead brought the first National Championship since 1988 within sight until Penn State snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. The powerhouse Nittany Lions won three consecutive games to secure their third consecutive national championship. Like their football counterparts, the gazelles Big-12 Championship was largely overshadowed by a heartbreaking loss on the game’s biggest stage.

Once again, Penn State is the team to beat. This time around, Texas will have to play without All-Americans Ashley Engle and Destinee Hooker. Hooker is a McCoy sized loss, as she leaves as the school leader in kills, attack attempts, and service aces. Engle, a two-time captain and fan favorite, earned four All-Big 12 selections.

Fortunately, this is Texas: we don’t rebuild, we reload. Hannah Allison was the big name in the No. 5 recruiting class. Ashley Bannister, Haley Cameron, and Sarah Palmer will also be new faces in Gregory this season. These new additions—and a roster of seasoned starters--earned the Horns a No. 3 preseason rank by the AVCA. 

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