Texas volleyball. It’s a machine. If you’ve spent any time following college sports in the last few years, you know that the Longhorns aren't just a team; they are a perennial problem for everyone else in the country. But when you look at the texas volleyball national poll data for the start of 2026, things look a little different than they did during the back-to-back championship runs of '22 and '23.
Right now, we are in that weird "in-between" phase. The 2025 season wrapped up with Texas A&M—yeah, the Aggies—taking the national title, which probably felt like a gut punch to the Austin faithful. According to the final AVCA/TARAFLEX Division I Women’s Volleyball Poll from late December 2025, the Longhorns finished in the top 12, but they weren't holding the trophy.
Texas actually spent a massive chunk of 2025 ranked at No. 2, right behind Nebraska. They were unbeaten for ages. They swept through their opening SEC slate like it was a warm-up drill. Then, the postseason happened. Volleyball is cruel like that. One bad night in the tournament and your national ranking becomes a historical footnote.
Where Texas Stands in the National Poll Right Now
As of mid-January 2026, the rankings are a bit of a split screen. If you’re looking at the men’s side, the AVCA National Collegiate Men’s Volleyball Poll is dominated by the West Coast—UCLA at No. 1, Long Beach State at No. 2. But for the women, we’re looking ahead to the 2026 season opener.
The AVCA recently announced the field for the 2026 AVCA First Serve showcase in Milwaukee, set for August. Here is the reality check: Texas is in the mix, but they aren't the "top dog" on paper anymore. The top of the final 2025 poll—which dictates the momentum for 2026—looks like this:
- Texas A&M (National Champs)
- Kentucky
- Nebraska
- Pittsburgh
- Wisconsin
Texas is hovering just outside that top five. It’s a weird spot for Jerritt Elliott’s squad. For a team that won it all in 2022 and 2023, being the "other" team in the top 10 is basically an insult.
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Why the Ranking is Sorta Deceptive
Polls are based on what you did lately. Texas lost some massive pieces. But honestly? The 2026 poll position doesn't account for the fact that Texas just secured some of the best All-American talent in the country.
Take Torrey Stafford. She was a First Team All-American in 2025, leading the Horns with 516 kills and over 580 points. Then you’ve got Cari Spears, the freshman standout from Frisco who was basically the SEC Freshman of the Week every time she stepped on the court. When you have that much returning firepower, a "No. 8" or "No. 10" ranking in the preseason is just fuel.
The SEC Shift and Poll Volatility
Let’s talk about the SEC. People used to think Texas moving to the SEC would make their life easier compared to the Big 12 grind. Nope.
Look at the final 2025 texas volleyball national poll results again. Texas A&M and Kentucky—both SEC schools—finished as the top two teams in the nation. The SEC has turned into a volleyball meat grinder. In the old days, Texas could sleepwalk through parts of the conference schedule. Now, if they drop a match to a "unranked" Missouri or Georgia, they tumble 5 spots in the AVCA poll instantly.
Poll voters are notoriously reactive. If Texas loses a set to an unranked team, the "Texas is slipping" narrative starts. We saw this in September 2025 when they finally dropped a set after a long streak of sweeps. The internet went nuts.
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How the Polls are Calculated
The AVCA poll isn't just a computer algorithm. It's a "Coaches Poll." This means:
- Real coaches from across the country vote.
- They factor in "eye test" more than just raw stats.
- Regional bias is real (though less so now with national streaming).
- Strength of schedule is the biggest tie-breaker.
Looking Back to Look Ahead: The Championship Pedigree
You can't talk about the texas volleyball national poll without acknowledging that Texas has five national titles. They won in 1981 (AIAW), 1988, 2012, 2022, and 2023.
In 1988, they did something no one else has ever done: they swept every single opponent in the NCAA tournament 3-0. That’s the standard. Anything less than a Top 3 ranking feels like a failure in Austin.
But there were "dark ages" too. In 2000 and 2003, they actually missed the tournament. Missing the tournament is unthinkable now, but it shows that the national poll is a fickle beast. Jerritt Elliott rebuilt this program from those ruins, and since 2004, they’ve been a permanent fixture in the Top 10.
The 2026 Outlook: Breaking Back into the Top 5
To get back to No. 1 in the texas volleyball national poll, Texas has a clear but difficult path in 2026.
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First, they have to survive the AVCA First Serve in August. They’ll be playing against the likes of Texas A&M, Kentucky, and Wisconsin. If they go 2-0 or even 1-1 with a close loss in Milwaukee, they’ll jump into the Top 5 immediately.
Secondly, the roster depth is absurd. We’re talking about players like Devin Kahahawai and Macey Butler. These are athletes who would be the #1 option on 90% of other D1 teams. At Texas, they have to fight for playing time. That internal competition usually translates to poll jumps once the season starts and other teams’ thin rosters start to fatigue.
Practical Steps for Fans Following the Polls
If you’re trying to keep track of where the Longhorns sit, don't just check Google once a month. The rankings move fast.
- Watch the Monday Drops: The AVCA usually releases the updated Women’s Division I poll on Monday afternoons during the season. This is the "Bible" for college volleyball rankings.
- Check the RPI: Late in the season (October/November), the NCAA’s Rating Percentage Index (RPI) becomes more important than the coaches' poll for tournament seeding. Texas often has a higher RPI than their poll rank because they play such a brutal schedule.
- Follow the "Others Receiving Votes": Sometimes the best indicator of a Texas jump is seeing who almost made the top 25. If the teams Texas beat are climbing, Texas climbs too.
- Mark your calendars for August 21, 2026: That's the start of the AVCA First Serve. That weekend will define the entire first half of the national poll.
Texas might not be No. 1 today, but in the world of volleyball, they are never more than one weekend away from reclaiming the top spot. Keep an eye on the freshman class—if they click early, that "Top 12" ranking will look silly by the time conference play starts.