Just a few days ago, the Longhorns pulled off a comeback straight out of a sports movie. Down 13-7 in the fifth set, they flipped the script with an epic rally to claim victory and give their five seniors the perfect send-off against Ole Miss, including Madisen Skinner. But let’s hit rewind to September, back when Madisen Skinner was stuck in a dark place. She couldn’t figure out what was off—she was getting her beauty sleep, eating clean, analyzing game film, and doubling down on practice reps like a pro. Still, her passing game was a mess. “The ball comes off funky,” she admitted, frustrated but determined.

By mid-September, Texas—ranked No. 1 in the preseason—was already facing the sting of three early defeats to Minnesota, Miami, and Stanford. Madisen Skinner had stats she’d probably like to forget, with eight service errors and five receiving errors across those games, hitting just .134. Associate head coach David Hunt noticed something strange during practice. Skinner’s arms were jerking just before the ball hit—a habit he’d never seen before.

When he pointed it out, it shook her confidence. “If I don’t even know what my body is doing, how can I fix it?” she wondered, spiraling a bit. Fast forward to a 6-on-6 drill a few days later, and she noticed that Coach Jerritt Elliott was keeping her out of six rotations. Looking back, Skinner’s emotions bubbled up.

According to ESPN’s latest scoop, Madisen Skinner had a moment that could tug at anyone’s heartstrings. Tears streamed down her face as she stood on the court, serving ball after ball, left out of six rotations by her coach. But she didn’t just wallow—she stayed late after practice, fiercely determined, sending serve after serve across the net. Her mind swirled with questions she couldn’t silence: “Why didn’t anybody tell me? Why didn’t Elliott talk to me?”

The very next day, Associate Head Coach David Hunt called Madisen Skinner, the reigning Big 12 Player of the Year, in for a heart-to-heart. Turns out, Coach Elliott had wanted to talk to her but blamed their mismatched schedules for the delay. Hunt explained that Elliott was worried about her and had asked him to check in. And he did—with genuine care.

Hunt reassured her, saying he and Elliott both believed in her, but the team needed to prioritize wins. Skinner, still dealing with her raw emotions, couldn’t hold back. “Why didn’t you guys talk to me before?” she asked. Hunt didn’t dodge it. “You’re 100% right,” he admitted. “We should have.”

Skinner nodded, her vulnerability pouring out as she confessed, “I don’t feel like myself. I don’t know why.”

Oh, and get this—Madisen Skinner was absolutely on fire in a recent game where No. 14 Texas Volleyball put on an offensive masterclass, sweeping Tennessee right off the court. The scoreboard? A clean 25-20, 25-14, 25-20 victory. Skinner wasn’t just good—she was electric, racking up 12 kills while hitting an eye-popping .429. The Longhorns weren’t messing around either, posting a jaw-dropping .554 hitting percentage, which is their highest since 2012 and the third-highest in program history.

Madisen Skinner’s contribution wasn’t just important; it was downright legendary. But here’s where things get spicy—November rolled around, and the whole vibe shifted. Skinner’s superstar moves, paired with Jerritt Elliott’s shake-it-up lineup change, lit a fire under Texas volleyball, sparking a late-season surge that had fans on their feet.

However, there is more to Skinner’s story. What if we told you volleyball wasn’t her first love? She started playing because her older sister, Avery, was into the sport. But the younger sibling wanted to explore and hence, had a phase where she did gymnastics, played soccer, and later started playing the guitar. Eventually, she came back to volleyball, all thanks to her older sister.

Madisen Skinner and Jerritt Elliott: The powerhouse duo

Texas volleyball dropped its third straight match in early November and Coach Jerritt Elliott wore a look that said it all—part frustration, part disbelief, and fully lost in thought.

He didn’t sugarcoat it. “It’s challenging,” Elliott admitted on November 3. “We’re trying to figure out, obviously, the right answers.”

So, when the wheels wobble, what do you do? Go back to basics: sharp passing, solid defense, and hustling on those out-of-system balls. And when things feel shaky, you lean hard on your stars—cue Madisen Skinner, the three-time NCAA national champ who decided it was time to remind everyone why she’s a game-changer.

The Longhorns found their rhythm just in time. They turned a three-game home losing streak into a red-hot four-game road winning streak, sweeping Mississippi State, Auburn, and Alabama, and even avenging Oklahoma in style. Skinner? She was unstoppable, hitting a jaw-dropping .440 with 6.4 kills per set during that stretch—well above her already stellar averages.

And when it came to OU, she served up a masterclass with 21 kills on 29 swings (.690) to clinch SEC co-offensive Player of the Week honors. They even went on to win against Tennessee and Ole Miss.

But Elliott didn’t just let the team’s spark reignite on its own. He made some lineup magic, swapping the 6-2 offense for a 5-1 system and handing the keys to Averi Carlson, the Baylor transfer who averaged 39 assists across those four wins. This move meant Ella Swindle, last year’s national title-winning setter, took a seat—proof that for Elliott, it’s about the team, not feelings. And guess what?

The shakeup worked. Texas is not only primed to host the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament at Gregory Gym but also back in the groove at just the right time.