No. 6 Texas (26-4) and No. 11 Stanford (26-6) will settle on the volleyball court which school deserved Sports Illustrated's "Best Sports College" title. The teams square off in Green Bay for a Sweet 16 matchup on Friday.
While neither team has ventured to the other's conference this season, the Longhorns and the Cardinal do share several elements, including a pair of powerful outside hitters.
Stanford senior Ogonna Nnamani tied for third in the regular season kills per game with 5.88. The outside hitter nailed 658 kills through the season and serves as the focal point of the Stanford offense.
Likewise, Texas senior Mira Topic ranks in the top five in the nation for kills per game, setting the school mark for kills in a season Saturday with 576. While Texas knows how to utilize a powerful outside hitter, the team will also have to defend one.
"I know a lot of their players, and they were very strong [against Florida]," Texas head coach Jerritt Elliott said. "They won tough in five games. We know they're strong and good, and I think it will be a heck of a match."
Elliott coached against Stanford while serving as assistant and interim head coach at USC before coming to Texas. While there, he earned Pac-10 Coach of the Year honors during his two years as head coach and also sports a shiny new Big 12 Coach of the Year honor from this season.
Texas reaches the Sweet 16 for the first time under Elliott and the first time since 1998 when Texas also faced Stanford on its way to a regional final.
"We're all excited because it is new territory," Elliott said. "We want to get out and play. I think the team is relaxed and learned a lot tonight from being at home."
Stanford and Texas match up similarly in statistics this season. Both teams sport top 10 hitting percentages, making it a showdown of high powered offenses. Stanford holds an edge in blocking, where the Cardinal ranks fourth in the nation. Texas holds an edge in assists and kills per game, but Elliott said the key for the Longhorns is the serving game.
"With quality teams its about the serve and pass game," Elliott said. "Aces are a huge factor to be successful. We had nine aces to Michigan's one. We're not real big on the right [side of the net], so we've got to get the team off the net."
Texas stumbled slightly due to Michigan's blocking game but saw the serving game cripple the Wolverines late in the match. Senior Bethany Howden served four aces in the sub-regional match, after barely serving all year.
The Longhorns also relished huge contributions from sophomores Brandy Magee and Dariam Acevedo. The pair combined for 25 kills, while Topic and Howden struggled at the net.
While both Stanford and Texas are relatively young teams, the Longhorns have not hesitated to lean on the underclassmen for huge contributions.
"[The underclassmen] have shown me all year long that when the match is on the line, they have been clutch," Elliott said. "In the tournament, we are going to be aggressive, because you can't win being passive."
The winner of the regional semifinal will face the victor of the Hawaii and Wisconsin match on Saturday.
VOLLEYBALL Stanford vs. Texas
WHEN: Friday WHERE: Green Bay, Wisc.
NOTE: The winner faces Hawaii or Wisconsin on Saturday.
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