The Wisconsin Badgers secured a thrilling 3-1 win over #2 Stanford to advance to the NCAA Volleyball Championship Quarterfinals.
Wisconsin has been one of the top teams in the country all year with a record of 27-4 and no matches lost to non-ranked teams. The Cardinal had also been one of the best teams this season but the Badgers proved to be stronger, securing the first win over Stanford in program history.
A difficult quarterfinal match awaits Wisconsin on December 14th as the Texas Longhorns stand in the way of potentially advancing. The Longhorns and Badgers previously met in the Opening Spike Classic to kick-off the season. Texas walked away with a statement 3-0 win that saw the Badgers fade away in the final set. Wisconsin cannot afford to allow the same result to take place in a win or go home situation in Austin.
Wisconsin Badgers Face Texas Longhorns in the NCAA Quarterfinals Following Early Loss
Earlier in the year the Longhorns managed to seal a dominant victory where Wisconsin recorded 26 errors, which is a season-high. Since the loss, Wisconsin has put together a successful season and learned from past mistakes on the court. However defeating the Longhorns could be a difficult task solely due to the current momentum the team has going into the upcoming match.
Texas boasts an impressive 26-3 record that includes an 18 match winning streak that was only recently broken. The Longhorns did not lose until the final week of October when Texas A&M pulled out the 3-2 upset victory. Kentucky has proven to be somewhat of a nemesis for Texas as well, securing a combined record of 6-2.
Since the most recent loss to Kentucky in the SEC Tournament, the Longhorns have won nine-straight sets while defeating the likes of Penn State and Indiana in the process. Penn State previously defeated Wisconsin this season.
Texas has been red-hot lately and at the heart of the success of the team has been outside hitter Torrey Stafford who will be the main player standing between the Badgers and a win.
How can the Wisconsin Badgers Defeat Texas?
The potential success of Texas against Wisconsin will sit in the hands of Stafford, who has 40 kills in her last two matches for the Longhorns. Stafford leads the team with 567 points, 5.35 points per set, and 33 service aces this season. The 6-foot-2 athlete is currently a semifinalist for the 2025 AVCA Division I Player of the Year Award.
Earlier in the season, Stafford had a quiet performance against Wisconsin as the Longhorns secured the 3-0 victory. The outside hitter finished the game with nine kills while recording 31 total attacks, resulting in a conversion percentage of 16.1%. Stafford typically makes 36.8% of her attempts, but her off-night was masked by the mistake-filled performance of the Badgers.
Texas is not the only team that has hit a stride recently with Wisconsin only dropping a single set in the NCAA Championship Tournament thus far. Badgers’ outside hitter and fellow semifinalist for the Player of the Year Award Mimi Colyer has been electric for the team as of late. Colyer has 62.5 points in the last three matches with her performances only improving as the tournament progresses.
The play of the entire rosters will be important, but the match will likely come down to a battle of the stars. Wisconsin has lost four-straight matches to Texas after winning seven in a row prior. Stafford and Colyer have been fantastic lately and now finally have the chance to face each other once again with a spot in the semi-finals on the line.
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