Texas Volleyball Falls in Final Four

By Jordan Schraeder in Blog, Special, Sports on December 20, 2013 at 11:27 am | No Comments

After a nearly flawless regular season, the Longhorns’ bid for a consecutive national championship came to a heartbreaking halt last night in the NCAA Semifinals.

The top-seeded Texas team was upset by the Wisconsin Badgers, bringing an end to the Longhorns’ 23-match win streak that tied the second-longest in program history. The Badgers—who will now face Penn State in the finals on Saturday—are the lowest-seeded team to ever reach the championship match.

Though they outblocked Wisconsin 19-10, the Horns couldn’t seem to rally from a 2-1 starting deficit (25-19, 25-18). They managed to pull out a nail-biter victory in the third game, 26-28, but couldn’t close the deal. The Badgers claimed the W, and a bid to the finals, with a 25-23 victory in the fourth.

It’s a disappointing end to an impressive season, in which the Longhorns went undefeated in the Big 12, earned the conference title, and achieved a 27-2 record overall. (The team wasn’t derailed by early losses to Hawaii and Arizona State.) Texas also racked up 1o consecutive NCAA Tournament wins, setting a new school record for post-season victories.

The heartbreaker against Wisconsin marked the last collegiate games of UT seniors Hannah Allison, Sarah Palmer, Megan Futch, and September|October Alcalde cover star Bailey Webster.

“I’m really looking forward to starting a new journey,” Webster told us in September, discussing her last season with the Horns. “You know, I’ve been here for a while, and I think it’s just about my time.”

The NCAA Division I National Championship Tournament will continue tomorrow night at 8:30 p.m. CST, when Wisconsin faces No. 2 Penn State in the finals. The game will be broadcast on ESPN 2.

Photo courtesy UT Athletics.

Tags: Bailey Webster, NCAA Championship, Penn State, texas volleyball, Wisconsin Badgers