Well that escalated quickly!
The Texas Longhorns are competing in the NCAA tournament in their first year of eligibility in beach volleyball.
“I don’t know how to explain it any better than it’s record-breaking and no one’s ever done this before,” Head Coach Stein Metzger told KXAN prior to the Horns final home tournament.
The Horns arrived in Gulf Shores, Alabama ranked 7th in the country and riding a 13-match win streak.
Winning it all won’t be easy.
First up, the Horns (the 7th seed in the tournament) take on the 10th seeded Cal Golden Bears. This is the second time the Horns and Bears will square off with Cal winning the first match 3 games to 2 during a tournament in Austin back in March.
If the Horns advance, they’ll likely face TCU which is the number two seed in the tournament. The Horned Frogs beat Texas 4-1 in early March.
Texas is led by Maddison Parmelly and Karin Zolnercikova. The pair sport a team-best 26-6 record (25-6 at No. 3, 1-0 at No. 2), including 14 wins against ranked opponents.
Metzger says Parmelly, a grad student from Rockwall, Texas, is critical to the team’s success. He says the grad student from Rockwall, Texas helped create “an incredible legacy in terms of culture.”
The fact that Metzger is even at Texas is a bit of a coup for athletic director Chris Del Conte. CDC hired Metzger from UCLA, a powerhouse in the sport, where he won two national championships with the Bruins.
“I just think I’m the perfect person for this role,” Metzger told volleyballmag.com shortly after taking the job in 2023. “I’ve built something before and Texas has the resources to take this sport to another level. And I feel like I’m the guy to do it. It felt like it was calling me to do it.”
Indoor volleyball coach Jerritt Elliott, who oversees both programs, convinced Metzger to make the move.
“I knew that people in Texas took their sports seriously, but this is just a whole ‘nother level,” Metzger said. “I’m blown away.
“If I had know there was going to be this much support, welcoming and energy behind this, it would have made the decision even easier.”
Metzger said the hardest part was telling his players he was leaving. He recruited those players to UCLA.
If the Horns make it to the national championship game, they could very well face Metger’s old team as UCLA is the number one seed in the tournament.
Every match at the NCAA Championships will be streamed on ESPN2.
