“Damn, we lost again… W-F is going on?”, “Lol, this is the worst we’ve been in over a decade. Three straight unranked 5-set losses at home!” On November 3, comments like those soared on social media. The number of such comments took over the internet after Texas volleyball lost its game against Oklahoma in the former’s backyard. The astute fans found it difficult to make amends with the situation. They had to watch their favorite squad facing the thrashing defeat (3-2) from Oklahoma in the iconic Gregory Gymnasium. Furthermore, the game tilted at the unranked squad’s side most of the time, dwarfing the Longhorns’ effort. A few times, Alexis Shelton even posed bigger than Madisen Skinner while inflicting kills. The pain extended after noticing that the same team had won back-to-back national titles once. 

But coming into this season, the Madisen Skinner-starred team had to digest three continuous losses in the home game. Surprisingly, in each of those matches, the Longhorns took the fight to the fifth set and lost the momentum. Expectedly, the fans didn’t stand for it. They had to vent their emotions and the social media feed remained the witness. But 19 days later, everything seems to be in the opposite lane. How?

On November 22, Texas volleyball countered Oklahoma at McCasland Field House. The match had already been touted to be the revenge one. So for the Longhorns, the stakes were high. However, the Orange squad responded, keeping that emotional part in mind. This time, Oklahoma failed to take away the game as Texas swept it in a 3-0 scoreline. On Friday evening, the sold-out crowd of 3,325 witnessed the Longhorns’ rage. 

In the meantime, by landing the victory against Oklahoma, the Horns made the record slightly better. Now it stands at 16-6,10-3. The fans did not miss it. Rather, on X, they lined up under the post announcing the victory news. One such fan, meanwhile, posted, “That Texas fight is back!!” The fight certainly is back. Just look at the numbers. 

On Friday, the Longhorns put on a show against the rival. In the three-set game, the No. 14 kept Oklahoma at bay, hardly allowing it to make a comeback in the game. Proof? The three-set scoreline is 25-14, 25-15, 25-19. Last time, they had to surrender to Oklahoma’s might. But this time, Madisen Skinner took the responsibility of righting the ship. 

In the iconic arena, the flamboyant senior scored 21 kills in just 29 attacks. The hitting percentage touched the sky-high of .690. She was suitably accompanied by Reagan Rutherford (nine kills) and Marianna Singletary (six kills). Moreover, it is the Longhorns’ fourth victory in a row after facing the loss against Oklahoma two weeks ago. So did that defeat work as a wake-up call? Perhaps. But the fans seemed to be ecstatic seeing the revenge fulfilled. They had a few more comments to share. 

Fans hail Texas volleyball’s victory as the ‘clean sweep’

After the disappointing result against Oklahoma, the Jerritt Elliott-coached squad jumped into the hot water. The performance in the postseason matches failed to do justice to the fame the Texas volleyball holds. On this gloomy occasion, senior players such as Madisen Skinner could rally the squad. And on Friday, the outside hitter exactly did that. She kept the opponents on their toes with her superb volley. The fans worshiped such a performance. Want to see examples? On X, someone penned, “Madi hit .690% with 21 kills. Incredible.” In the big moment, Skinner shone brightly. And with her fireworks, Texas volleyball completed the journey on the road. 

But in the meantime, someone from the fanbase quickly reminded, “Revenge accomplished!” The result from two weeks ago against the unranked Sooners surely dealt an immense blow to the Longhorns. It was their second conference game loss in their backyard and third loss in a row. Therefore, the victory achieved on Friday tasted sweeter. Meanwhile, someone hyped the victory. That concerned fan preferred to point out, “Not to be cocky, but we call that a CLEAN SWEEP.” Keeping a close similarity with what Nebraska does to its opponents in the arena, the terms seem to be suitable. Yet the victory came against an unranked opponent. That fact may have caused a few fans to think about Oklahoma’s performance in the game. 

A deep thought led a fan to comment, “OU STILL SUCKS!!!” The authority over the opponent may serve a few directions on that. How? The Longhorns dominated the first set, hitting .467, with Skinner leading the way with seven kills. Texas also dominated at the serve line, recording four aces and winning the set 25-14. The stint continued in the next two sets as well. That may have made the fan comment like that. However, what is your take on Texas volleyball’s fulfillment of revenge? Let us know.