Texas Volleyball will make nine ESPN network appearances in 2026, giving the Longhorns one of the biggest national TV spotlights in college volleyball.
Texas Volleyball is getting the national treatment in 2026, and the Longhorns’ schedule makes it clear ESPN expects them to be one of the sport’s biggest draws.
Texas is scheduled for nine regular-season appearances across ESPN networks, including five matches on either ABC or ESPN. For a program already carrying national-title expectations, that kind of exposure only turns up the pressure.
The television run starts Sept. 2 when USC visits Gregory Gym for an 8 p.m. CT matchup on ESPN2 as part of the Big Ten/SEC Challenge.
Four days later, Texas moves onto an even bigger stage.
The Longhorns will face Louisville on ABC on Sept. 6 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville as part of the Sprouts Farmers Market Broadway Block Party. First serve is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT.
Then comes another road test at SMU on ACC Network before Texas returns home Sept. 13 for one of the most intriguing nonconference matches of the season.
Wisconsin comes to Moody Center, and ESPN will carry the showdown nationally at 2 p.m. CT.
That’s not exactly easing into the season.
Texas’ SEC schedule brings even more national attention. The Longhorns will play at Tennessee on SEC Network, followed two days later by an ESPN matchup at Kentucky.
Florida then visits Austin on Oct. 18 for a 7:30 p.m. CT ESPN match, while Georgia comes to Gregory Gym on Oct. 28 for another SEC Network broadcast.
And naturally, the television schedule finishes with the rivalry.
Texas A&M visits Texas on Nov. 1, with ESPN televising the noon CT matchup.
That gives Texas nationally televised matches against USC, Louisville, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Florida and Texas A&M among others - a slate that puts the Longhorns in front of college volleyball fans from late summer through November.
The season itself begins Aug. 22 against Arizona State at the AVCA First Serve event in Milwaukee. Texas also faces Marquette there on Aug. 24, with television details for those matches still to come.
For Texas, the ESPN commitment represents more than exposure.
It’s another signal of how quickly women’s college volleyball continues to grow as a national television property - and how heavily one of the sport’s premier brands will be featured in that expansion.
When Texas hits the floor in 2026, there’s a very good chance the rest of the country will be watching.
