Texas volleyball falls to Stanford 3-1 in NCAA Championship match

For the second time in as many seasons, the Texas Longhorns volleyball team’s season ends as the national runner-up, as the ‘Horns fell to the Stanford Cardinal 3-1 in the NCAA Championship match.

In what began as a match of runs, Stanford sparked many during the first two sets to take a 2-0 lead, including a 10-3 run to end Set 1 for a 25-21 victory and an 8-1 run in the first half of Set 2. Texas responded with an 8-2 run of its own, but the Cardinal closed the set on yet another 8-1 run and entered the break following a 25-19 set win.

Coming out of the intermission, Texas essentially cruised through Set 3 after a 6-0 start en route to a 25-18 set — the largest edge of the match led by Ebony Nwanebu.

In Set 4, which would become the final set of the match, it was Stanford that opened on a 6-0 run and it was a hole too deep for the ‘Horns to dig themselves out of. Texas would go on to outscore Stanford 21-19 throughout the remainder of the set, but the spark of life ended after Texas clawed its way to a 21-24 deficit with Stanford winning on the following series, 25-21.

The ‘Horns had lost just 2-of-17 series entering the match, but dropped three in the match that mattered most as Stanford secured its seventh NCAA Championship in school history, which is tied for the most in NCAA history.