Texas sweeps Nebraska for 2nd straight NCAA volleyball title - ESPN

TAMPA, Fla. — In 2009, here in this same arena, Texas women's volleyball lost one of its most heartbreaking matches, one that longtime coach Jerritt Elliott still calls his most painful defeat. On Sunday, in the first NCAA volleyball championship match to be televised on ABC, the Longhorns and Elliott replaced that bad memory with a much happier one.

The Longhorns repeated as national champions and did something no team had done in NCAA women's volleyball history: win back-to-back titles via sweeps. The No. 2 seed Longhorns did it by knocking off three No. 1 seeds in a row: Stanford in the regional final, Wisconsin in the national semifinals and Nebraska in the final. The Longhorns won 25-22, 25-14, 25-11 on Sunday; last year they swept Louisville in the title match.

Last season, Texas carried the mantle as country's best team all the way through the championship match. This year, with freshman setter Ella Swindle learning the ropes, Texas had a few more bumps in the road early on, including a loss at Long Beach State in the season opener Aug. 25.

But by Sunday, there was no doubt who the best team was: the Longhorns again. Other than at setter, Texas did have some key experienced players, including fifth-year senior Asjia O'Neal, who got her fifth service ace of the afternoon on match point to launch Texas' celebration.

Madisen Skinner, who helped lead Kentucky to the SEC's first volleyball title in the COVID-delayed 2020 championship, got her third overall NCAA title, as she won the past two after transferring to Texas. She was named most outstanding player of the championship after 18 kills in the semifinal win over Pittsburgh and 16 against Nebraska in the final. Skinner, O'Neal and Swindle were each on the