Texas Volleyball saw its season come to an end on its home floor in the Elite Eight.
The No. 3-seeded Texas Longhorns fell in heartbreaking fashion to the fellow volleyball-powerhouse No. 10 Wisconsin Badgers on Sunday in the Gregory Gymnasium in four sets (22-25, 21-25, 25-20, 19-25) to end Texas' season in the NCAA Regional Final.
This was the Longhorns' 18th trip to the Elite Eight in the last 20 seasons, but for the second season in a row, Texas will not return to the Final Four round. The Longhorns won the national championship in 2022 and 2023.
The 2025 season ends with Texas finishing 26-4 overall and 13-2 at home, including the final loss to Wisconsin.
The Longhorns were likely frustrated with the outcome given how No. 5 Texas swept No. 8 Wisconsin 3-0 in the second match of the season on Aug. 31 at the Opening Spike Classic, hosted by the Badgers in Madison.
Wisconsin now gets its revenge when it matters most to make it out of the Austin regional and continue its pursuit of the program's second national championship (first was won in 2021).
The Badgers are 28-4 on the year after reaching at least the Regional Semifinals round for the 23rd consecutive season. They hold a remarkable 12-1 record on the road this season.
After going down two sets to none, the Longhorns responded by hitting .400 in the third to extend the match, but in the fourth set, the offense went cold with just a .158 mark - the worst of any set for the Longhorns.
Texas freshman Cari Spears - the daughter of former Dallas Cowboys lineman Marcus Spears - led the Horns with 12 kills on a .321 hitting percentage against the Badgers. Senior libero Emma Halter made her mark on the Texas record books by finishing her career with 1,307 digs, the eighth-most in program history.
Texas' top offensive force Torrey Stafford was held to nine kills on .132 hitting on Sunday. Junior setter Ella Swindle posted a team-high 27 assists.
Spears and Stafford were each named to the Regional All-Tournament team for Texas.
Wisconsin now advances to the national semifinals where it will face No. 1-seed Kentucky in Kansas City, Missouri on Dec. 18. The Wildcats beat the Longhorns in five sets in the SEC Tournament Championship match.