Texas Volleyball: No. 2 Longhorns beat No. 15 Washington in five sets

No. 2 Texas is on to the Elite Eight after a reverse sweep of No. 15 Washington.

After losing in the national championship game a season ago, Texas volleyball has revenge on their minds. The Longhorns took down Sacred Heart and Rice in sweeps during the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament.

That set up a Sweet 16 match up against No. 15 Washington.

The Huskies came out of the gates on fire. They took a commanding lead in the first set with an 11-0 run to go up 16-7. Washington would not look back and closed the first set 25-19.

Texas looked to have regrouped in the second set, jumping out to a 5-1 lead but Washington stormed back into it. A 6-1 run in the middle of the set helped Washington take set two. Jerritt Elliot’s squad had no answer for what Washington was doing early.

Just one set from elimination, Texas and Gregory gym woke up.

Set number three went back and forth before Texas grabbed all the momentum late, winning 25-22. The crowd erupted as Texas broke a 19-19 tie. Washington would not have another lead for the rest of the night.

Logan Eggleston and Skylar Fields found their rhythm for the Longhorns as Texas dominated set four 25-9.

Entering set five, the crowd was rocking and Texas hit their stride. A few Washington service errors gave Texas the lead early. Up 14-9, a Skylar Fields kill completed the reverse sweep, sending Texas to the Elite Eight.

Texas will look to clinch their spot in the Final Four against No. 10 Nebraska on Saturday night. It is a rematch of last season’s Elite Eight matchup where the Longhorns beat the Huskers in four sets.

Texas Volleyball: Longhorns clinch No. 2 national seed

Texas volleyball set for another run at a national championship.

Jerritt Elliott has turned Texas volleyball into a national powerhouse during his 20-plus years as the head coach.

The Longhorns have reached nine Final Four appearances and five national championship games since Elliott’s arrival. The Horns won the national championship in 2012.

The 2021 Longhorns have continued the dynasty. Texas is 24-1 and won their fifth straight Big 12 conference title this season.

On Sunday night, the NCAA announced Texas as the No. 2 national seed for the NCAA tournament.

If they can keep winning, Texas will have the luxury of not having to play outside of Gregory Gym until the Final Four. Texas will host Sacred Heart, Rice, and San Diego this weekend for the first two rounds of the tournament.

The bracket sets up a potential rematch of last season’s national championship in the Elite Eight between No. 2 Texas and No. 7 Kentucky.

Texas won 15 of 16 matches against teams who qualified for the 2021 NCAA tournament. The only loss was to No. 5 Baylor in Waco.

View the full bracket here:

Contact/Follow us @LonghornsWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas news, notes and opinions.