Texas volleyball: Longhorns to host Texas A&M as SEC announces schedule for 2026 season

The 2026 SEC season will conclude with the SEC Volleyball Tournament for Nov. 20-24 at Enmarket Arena in Savannah, Georgia.

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Texas renews in-state rivalry with SMU

Texas officials recently announced that the Longhorns will travel to Dallas to face SMU on Sept. 9 at Moody Coliseum as part of the ACC/SEC Showdown at the Net. The match will mark the Longhorns’ first trip to Dallas since 2004 and the third all-time meeting between the programs in the city. Texas is 1-1 on the road against SMU, with the lone loss in the series coming in 2000.

Texas holds a 5-1 advantage in the all-time series and has won each of the last four meetings. The teams last met in the second round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament, where the Longhorns swept SMU in Austin to advance to the NCAA Regional Semifinals. All six matches in the series have been decided in straight sets.

Last season, SMU finished 27-6 and No. 11 in the final AVCA poll.

Texas Longhorns volleyball coach Jerritt Elliott walks to athletic director Chris Del Conte ahead of the women's basketball game against Oklahoma at the Moody Center on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026 in Austin. (Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman)

The match against SMU adds to a power-packed schedule for Texas, which finished last season 26-4 overall and a No. 7 spot in the final rankings. Overall, the Longhorns currently will face seven teams that ranked in last season’s final AVCA poll.

The Longhorns open the 2026 season at the AVCA First Serve in Milwaukee, part of a four-day showcase at Fiserv Forum. Texas will face Arizona State (No. 12 in final AVCA poll) on Aug. 22 before taking on Marquette on Aug. 24.

Texas will play Louisville (No. 9) in the Sprouts Farmers Market Broadway Block Party Sept. 6 in Nashville, Tenn., and Wisconsin (No. 5) Sept. 13 at Moody Center in Austin. The Longhorns will also play Nebraska, according to Cornhuskers coach Dani Busboom Kelly. Texas officials have not yet confirmed the match against Nebraska.

The Longhorns’ SEC schedule features three teams ranked in last season’s final AVCA poll, including No. 1 Texas A&M, No. 2 Kentucky and No. 24 Tennessee.