Rarely - if ever - do college volleyball teams play each other two games in a row.
But on Friday, the Longhorns will do exactly that, meeting USC for the second time in as many games. But for Texas, the rematch comes eight months too late.
Texas, ranked No. 3 in the first AVCA poll this season, will face the team that eliminated them from last season's NCAA tournament. The 'Horns fell to the Trojans 3-0 in the Gainesville Regional championship, sending USC on their way to the Final Four and Texas back home.
Friday at the AVCA Showcase in Omaha, Neb., the Longhorns get their chance to begin their 2008-09 season with the team that handed them their elimination loss last season.
Not only will the AVCA Showcase give the Longhorns a chance to vindicate last year's loss, but it will give Texas a chance to establish themselves at the top of the nation. After Friday's rematch with the No. 4 Trojans, Texas will come back and play No. 2 Stanford on Sunday. Big 12 rival Nebraska, who starts this season ranked No. 7, will also play the two top-five schools from California. Texas and Nebraska will save their showdowns for the conference season, as will the two Pac-10 favorites, USC and Stanford.
You don't have to remind the Longhorns how last season ended. To the team, this opportunity to start the season off against USC and Stanford - two of the top volleyball programs in the nation - is a reminder of this season's potential.
"We are really excited, to always get better and to start with a challenge is huge," sophomore outside hitter Juliann Faucette said. "To go up against some of the best teams to start the season is going to be great. It is exciting to play USC, who we lost our last match to, to go out there and compete again."
For Texas, the AVCA Showcase is a golden opportunity. While the 'Horns have made it to the regional finals the past two seasons, they have been unable to advance into the Final Four. Ranked third to begin the season, the Longhorns are ready to prove they belong in the upper echelon of NCAA volleyball.
"It is good to get started like this," junior Ashley Engle said. "It is going to be a challenge, but I wouldn't want it any other way."
If the rematch of last season's final game was good enough to get the players excited, the history of the opposing coaches - Texas' Jerritt Elliott and USC's Mick Haley - should add even more intrigue to Friday's matchup. Elliott served as USC's interim head coach for two seasons, while Haley coached the Longhorns to two national titles during his 17-year stint as Texas head coach.
"It is going to be tough. It is going to be a good test early in the season for us," Elliott said. "We definitely want to win."
But vindication and history aside, this weekend will show how far along the 2008 Longhorns really are.
"This team is still a work in progress," Elliott said after the team's intra-squad scrimmage. "This weekend will definitely show us where we are at."
Be the first to comment on this article!