No. 2 Texas Volleyball claimed its first win of the 2026 season on Monday night, defeating Marquette 3-2 (22-25, 25-19, 25-16, 23-25, 15-8) in the finale of the AVCA First Serve at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.

Earlier the same evening, No. 4 Pittsburgh swept Xavier 3-0 (26-24, 25-13, 25-18) to finish the four-day showcase undefeated at 2-0.

Texas improved to 1-1 on the young season after dropping its opener. Marquette fell to 0-1.

Texas Grinds Out a Five-Set Thriller

The Longhorns dropped the opening set 22-25 in a back-and-forth frame that saw eight ties before Marquette created separation late.

Texas steadied in sets two and three, winning 25-19 and 25-16 respectively, with the program racking up nine service aces through that stretch.

Marquette pushed back to force a deciding set, winning the fourth 25-23. The fifth set was not close. Texas won it 15-8 to seal the match.

Outside hitter Torrey Stafford led all players with 19 kills and 12 digs, hitting .341 on the night, according to Texas Athletics.

Fellow outside hitter Cari Spears contributed 17 kills and four service aces, matching a career high, while outside hitter Abby Vander Wal added 14 kills and four blocks.

Setter Rella Binney tied her career high with 36 assists and collected 11 digs.

Middle blocker Nya Bunton led the match with seven blocks, and libero Ramsey Gary topped the defensive chart with 16 digs.

The Longhorns finished with 10 service aces and grew sharper as the night wore on.

Texas hit .141 in the first two sets combined, then surged to .343 in the third, .278 in the fourth and .529 in the fifth, per Texas Athletics.

For Marquette, opposite Carson Tyler was a standout in her Golden Eagles debut, totaling 17 kills through four sets before the fifth slipped away.

Pitt Handles Xavier Despite a Tight Opener

Pittsburgh's night looked comfortable on the scoreboard but required a fight early. Xavier drew level at 24-24 in the first set before Pitt closed it out 26-24.

The Panthers dominated the second set 25-13, posting a .500 hitting percentage in the frame, then closed out the match 25-18 in the third.

Pitt won going away.

Senior outside hitter Blaire Bayless led Pittsburgh's attack with 13 kills.

Olivia Babcock, a senior opposite hitter and reigning back-to-back AVCA National Player of the Year — see Babcock of Pitt Leads NCAA.com's Ranking of Top Returning Opposites for 2026, added 12 kills on a .450 hitting percentage, per reporting from SI.com. Pitt entered the match one day after beating No. 3 Kentucky in four sets to open the season.

The sweep over Xavier confirmed the Panthers are carrying real early-season momentum out of Milwaukee.

AVCA First Serve Wraps Its 2026 Edition

The four-day showcase at Fiserv Forum produced a mix of sweeps and five-set battles across its final night alone.

Texas's victory marked the first regular-season meeting between the Longhorns and the Golden Eagles, with Texas winning both all-time matchups between the programs.

Both ranked programs now move on to their respective conference schedules with clearer pictures of what they need to build on.