Alabama Battles No. 2 Texas in Four-Set Loss Sunday in Tuscaloosa

Sunday, October 12

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

2 p.m. CT

Alabama

9-7,1-5SEC

Texas

14-0,6-0SEC

Texas

Alabama

Alabama Battles No. 2 Texas in Four-Set Loss Sunday in Tuscaloosa

10/12/2025 6:12:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Photo Gallery

The Crimson Tide took the opening set, just the Longhorns’ third set loss over their last nine matches

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama volleyball gave No. 2-ranked Texas all they could handle in a hard-fought four set loss Sunday afternoon in front of a season-high 1,718 fans at Foster Auditorium.

Alabama (9-7, 1-5 SEC) jumped ahead to an early lead in the first set over Texas (14-0, 6-0 SEC), with a kill from Kaleigh Palmer making it 9-4 before the Longhorns had to burn a timeout. The Crimson Tide rode the early momentum all the way until the end of the set, leading the whole way en route to a 25-20 win, handing Texas just its third set loss over its last nine matches. The teams traded points back and forth to start the second frame before the Longhorns pulled away in the second half to even the match with a 25-16 set victory.

A pair of service aces from Lily Gervase helped Alabama score four unanswered points to start the third set and the Longhorns burned an early timeout down 4-0. Texas fought back to tie it at 8-8 and retake the lead at 10-9. Later with the Longhorns leading 16-11, a 4-0 run from the Tide made it a one-point game and Texas took its final timeout. Alabama kept up the fight, tying it at 20-20. The game was still knotted up later at 23-23 but the Longhorns took home the narrow set victory with back-to-back kills to make it 25-23 and give the visitors a 2-1 match lead. Texas started the fourth with four unanswered points and remained in front from that point on, winning 25-18 to take the match.

FROM HEAD COACH RASHINDA REED

"I'm really proud of our team. I thought that they fought hard. That's a really great team on the other side of the net and this just goes to show that we're not a team to be taken lightly. The confidence and drive we've been playing with lately was a decision by the players. The coaching staff can't want it more than the players. They had a conversation about what they wanted out of the season and they've really flipped the switch. They are really battling because they want it. Because of that we're seeing the results out there because they want to do something special."

NOTES

Alabama's set one victory is just the third set loss over Texas' last nine matches, a total of 30 sets played
A season-high 1,718 fans packed Foster Auditorium
Victoria Barrett earned her fourth double-double of the season with 12 kills and 14 digs while Hannah Parant was just one dig shy, finishing with 31 assists and nine digs
Lily Gervase led the team with three service aces, her second match this season with three aces against a ranked opponent previously doing so against then-No. 19 Florida (Sept. 28)