The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Forty Acres Insider: May 5
05.05.2026 | Forty Acres Insider
Important news happening in and around Texas Athletics compiled by Vice President and Athletics Director Chris Del Conte
Longhorn Nation,
April showers (and we've had plenty) bring May flowers — and our Longhorns are earning their flowers all across the Forty Acres. As we hit the stretch run of spring seasons, the SUCCESS JUST KEEPS ON SURGING. Beach Volleyball led the charge with a run to the NCAA Championship semifinals, locking in a top-three national finish. That brings us to four NCAA top-three finishes this year: Beach Volleyball (NCAA Semifinals/T-3rd), Men's Swimming and Diving (National Champions), Women's Swimming and Diving (3rd), and Women's Basketball (Final Four/T-3rd). The NCAA momentum kept humming in Austin as Men's and Women's Tennis held serve at home, each picking up a pair of wins to advance to the Sweet 16. On the diamond, Baseball secured a huge top-10 SEC series win over No. 10 Mississippi State, while Softball capped the regular season with a sensational Senior Day victory over No. 7 Arkansas. And despite battling the elements, Track and Field hosted a successful Texas Invitational at Mike A. Myers Stadium. An all-around winning weekend — and heck of a way to keep collecting those flowers!
proud of this group, always🤘🫶#HookEm pic.twitter.com/eBp0IQSgaC
— Texas Beach Volleyball (@TexasBeachVB) May 2, 2026
Now we head into an always special MOTHER'S DAY WEEKEND — a time to celebrate and honor the incredible women in our lives. Meanwhile, championships — and the road to them — are front and center once again. Men's and Women's Tennis continue NCAA Tournament runs in the Sweet 16, with the men holding down the home courts and the women battling on the road. Fresh off a First Varsity Eight win over then-No. 1 Stanford two weeks ago, Coach O'Neill and Rowing surged to the nation's No. 1 ranking and now set their sights on an 11th-straight conference title at the SEC Championship in Tennessee on Sunday. Softball heads to Lexington for the SEC Tournament as the No. 4 seed, opening play on Thursday after earning the precious double bye. Amid all the competition, we want to pause and say thank you — sincerely and wholeheartedly — to all the moms who entrust us with their children. That responsibility means everything to us. We are grateful for the opportunity to serve as educators, mentors, and leaders for such outstanding young people every single day. Horns Up, Mom — we'll be playing for you this weekend!
And speaking of making moms, families, and all of us proud … GRADUATION WEEK IS HERE! In a time where so much conversation surrounds college athletics, let's not lose sight of what truly matters — the educational journey of our student-athletes. That journey reaches a defining moment as they walk across the stage, heads held high, y'all cheering them on and crying tears of joy, earning a degree from this great university. It's life-changing. It's meaningful. And it's earned through the same hard work, dedication, and determination they show as they compete in the Burnt Orange and White. Whether they step into their career, continue competing at the professional level, or return one day to further their education, that diploma will always stand as a crowning achievement — for them and for their families. We couldn't be prouder to celebrate nearly 100 exceptional student-athletes as part of the Texas Class of 2026. What starts here changes the world! The world is your oyster, my friends— now go make your pearl!!
But before we get too far into the week, what an incredible run it was for our AVCA National Coach of the Year, Coach Metzger, and Beach Volleyball. Another sensational year came to a heartbreaking end in the NCAA Championship semifinals, but it was Texas Fight until the very last point. Our Horns continue stacking success with MORE HISTORY MADE in just year two. Two conference championships. Another step forward on the national stage. A tie for third at the NCAA Championship with a semifinal appearance — knocking on the door of the National Title Match. As one of the final four teams standing, we rolled into the semifinal against UCLA riding a 15-match winning streak. In a 3-2 instant classic, it came down to the final match of the duel with the eventual National Champion Bruins (whom we had beaten three times in a row this year, including for the MPSF Title!). Nothing but pride for this squad, which powered its way to the semis with a 3-1 quarterfinal win over LMU after opening the tournament with a dominant 3-0 sweep of Georgia State. Back-to-back quarterfinal appearances. Back-to-back history. After a historic inaugural season in 2025, this was another massive leap in 2026. Coach Metzger has built a national power in record time — and this is only the beginning. And with team success comes well-earned recognition. Shoutout to our AVCA National and MPSF Coach of the Year, Coach Metzger, the AVCA First-Team All-American duo of Katie Hashman and Brecht Piersma, our fabulous freshmen Anna Pavelkova and Kačka Pavelkova who earned spots on the NCAA All-Tournament Team, and all of our All-MPSF honorees! What a year it was folks … and we're just getting started!
best in the biz🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/jInx8MoM0Q
— Texas Beach Volleyball (@TexasBeachVB) May 1, 2026
The four top-three finishes this year are impressive but if you're looking for a little extra ammo this week … here's a flex. Over the last six years, 16 of our 21 programs have finished in the top-three nationally — combining for 41 top-three NCAA Championship and College Football Playoff finishes during that time. That's not a moment … that's sustained excellence. That's the PRIDE AND WINNING TRADITION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS. So go ahead — use that one around the watercooler and at the family gatherings. Hold those Horns Up high. The standard is the standard, my friends!
.@TexasBeachVB's run to the NCAA semis makes it FOUR Longhorns Top-3 NCAA finishes this year, joining @TexasMSD, @TexasWSD & @TexasWBB🤘🏻
— John Bianco (@UT_Bianco) May 3, 2026
Over the last SIX years, 16 of our 21 programs have finished in the top-3 nationally — combining for 41 total Top-3 NCAA finishes in that time pic.twitter.com/32MXrNXVAo
The STAMPEDE ROLLS ON! Our Tennis programs are both headed back to the Sweet 16 — one of just six schools with both the men's and women's teams still alive. It's the sixth-straight year both squads have reached at least the Round of 16, joining only Virginia as the two programs that can say that. How Sweet is that! On the men's side, Coach Berque's No. 2 seed and SEC Champs kept it dominant by sweeping Texas A&M-Corpus Chrisi (4-0) and SMU (4-0) to make it 12-straight Sweet 16 appearances. They're back at the Texas Tennis Center on Friday vs. No. 15-seed San Diego (6 p.m. CT) for a spot in the Elite Eight — let's pack it, folks. The women had a strong showing as well. Coach Joffe's No. 9 seed handled Tarleton State (5-1) and Texas Tech (4-2) to punch their ticket to a sixth-straight Sweet 16. Next stop: Raleigh for a showdown with No. 8 seed NC State on Friday (4 p.m. CT). Two teams. One standard. Keep it rolling — Horns Up!
Both @TexasMTN and @TexasWTN are headed back to the NCAA Championships SWEET SIXTEEN🤘🏻
— John Bianco (@UT_Bianco) May 3, 2026
That's SIX-STRAIGHT years both programs have punched their tickets to the NCAA Round of 16 — something only two programs can say (Texas and Virginia). pic.twitter.com/BI6MmRlxUI
THE STAGE IS SET. Coach Ianello and No. 5 Women's Golf are headed to an 18th-straight NCAA Regional — and they're going in as the No. 1 seed at the Chapel Hill Regional. Our Horns will take on a 12-team field at UNC's Finley Golf Course on May 11-13, with the top five teams advancing to the NCAA Championships hosted by us at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. (May 22-27). We're aiming for a 10th-straight trip to the NCAA Championships — a streak that can only be matched by a few programs nationally (with Texas, USC, Stanford and Florida State as the only programs with a current streak of nine-in-a-row). Let's keep it going! There's plenty of well-earned recognition to celebrate, too. The phenomenal Farah O'Keefe earned SEC Player of the Year honors, while Lauren Kim and Cindy Hsu joined her on the All-SEC team. Horns Up to an incredible trio leading the way. On the men's side, Coach Fields and the No. 3 squad will learn their NCAA Regional destination during the selection show on Wednesday (1 p.m. CT/Golf Channel). Stay tuned … more to come!
No. 1 seed in Chapel Hill 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/xYkUNPxB7m
— Texas Women's Golf (@TexasWGolf) April 29, 2026
Coach Schloss and No. 4 Baseball took care of business with a BIG WEEK AT UFCU DISCH-FALK FIELD. It all kicked off with an absolute thriller — a 15-14 walk-off win over Sam Houston last Tuesday night, capped by Carson Tinney's clutch two-run bomb that sent our team and Longhorn Nation into a frenzy. From there, our Horns locked in and delivered a statement series win over No. 10 Mississippi State — our seventh conference series victory in eight tries this season. At 15-8 in SEC play, we're sitting tied for second place and right in the thick of things down the stretch. Friday night was a gritty one in the rain, as our elite pitching staff tied a program record with 19 strikeouts (UT's most-ever in a nine-inning game). Ace Dylan Volantiis led the charge with 12 punchouts in a tone-setting 3-1 win. Saturday didn't go our way, despite leaving 17 runners on base in a 7-4 loss — but Sunday, that was a different story. Picture-perfect day. Thunder at the plate and lightning on the basepaths. A nine-run third-inning — 13 batters, 57 pitches, four stolen bases, more than 30 minutes of pure pressure — fueled an all gas, no brakes 11-6 win to lock up the series in style. Whiffs were coming in droves once again as our starters fanned 28 Bulldogs in 16 combined innings (we had 42 Ks on the weekend overall) over the three-game set. Now it's full steam ahead. UTSA rolls into The Disch tonight (6:30 p.m. CT/SEC Network+), and then it's off to Knoxville for a huge weekend road test against Tennessee as the SEC race heats up. One home series remains after that (vs. Missouri, May 14-16) before it's time for Hoover.
this team 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/NN4hN2hHjP
— Texas Baseball (@TexasBaseball) May 3, 2026
After a pair of heartbreakers to open a top-10 series showdown with No. 7 Arkansas, No. 5 Softball answered in a big way — storming back to cap Senior Day with a statement 4-1 win on Saturday. As we CELEBRATED AN INCREDIBLE SENIOR CLASS, Coach White summed it up perfectly: "they left the jersey in a better place." And they backed it up on the field. Behind a dominant performance from Teagan Kavan — who racked up 10 strikeouts — our Horns closed out the regular season with momentum heading into postseason play. Now it's on to the SEC Tournament in Lexington. The bracket is out and Sunday's victory helped secure one of the tourney's coveted top-four seeds (No. 4), earning a double-bye into the quarterfinals. We'll open play Thursday at 4 p.m. CT on SEC Network. Time to take it up a notch and chase a conference title in a league where it just means more. And you can feel what's coming next — NCAA postseason softball back at Red & Charline McCombs Field. That will be announced on the NCAA Selection Show this Sunday (6 p.m. CT/ESPN2). First things first, but we'll be ready. Horns Up!
celebrating this special group of seniors🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/5mBELvg1kv
— Texas Softball (@TexasSoftball) May 2, 2026
Here we go folks — ANOTHER WEEK OF WALL-TO-WALL ACTION on and off the fields of competition. With Beach Volleyball's NCAA semifinal run and third-place national finish in the books, the momentum rolls right into a week packed with championship paths and SEC titles on the line. Men's and Women's Tennis push forward into Sweet 16 matches (and hopefully beyond), Women's Golf tees it up at the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional, and Softball heads to Lexington for the SEC Tournament. Newly-minted No. 1 Rowing takes to Melton Lake in Oak Ridge, Tennessee with sights on another SEC Championship on Sunday (SEC Network+). Baseball gets things started at UFCU Disch-Falk Field later tonight before hitting the road for a big weekend at Tennessee. So get that Burnt Orange and White ready, celebrate your moms the right way, throw those Horns Up, and Hook 'Em. It's a fabulous time to be a Longhorn!
championship season creeping in 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/BsL9UUFX97
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) May 4, 2026
And while we're at it — a huge shoutout to our phenomenal longtime Head Team Physician, Dr. James Bray. At this week's SEC Sports Medicine Meeting, Dr. Bray will be honored as the SEC TEAM PHYSICIAN OF THE YEAR. We are incredibly grateful for the care, leadership, and dedication he gives to our student-athletes and programs every single day. A truly well-deserved honor for our Doc — we're lucky to have him in our Longhorn Family.
Cinco de Mayo specials TONIGHT at UFCU Disch-Falk Field!
Join us TONIGHT at UFCU Disch-Falk Field as our Horns take on UTSA in the final midweek game of the regular season. We'll be celebrating Cinco de Mayo with several specials including $5 Corona/Corona Extra beers and $10 margaritas all game long. In addition, our friends at 1883 Provisions Co. have cooked up limited-edition Taco Pizzas available at the Forty Acres Pizzeria along the first base concourse. Our friends from Texas Folklorico will also be in attendance and performing throughout the evening. If you're a season ticket holder and unable to attend, please consider Sharing Your Texas with family or friends and helping us keep the Disch packed. If you're still looking for tickets, visit SeatGeek, the Official Fan-to-Fan Marketplace of Texas Athletics.
Come Cheer on No. 1 Men's Tennis in the NCAA Sweet 16 this Friday!
Our No. 1-ranked Men's Tennis team took down SMU last Saturday to advance to their 12th consecutive Round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament. Longhorn Nation, we need y'all to come out in full force to the Texas Tennis Center this Friday at 6 p.m. when the Horns take on No. 17 San Diego. Admission to the match is FREE and the winner advances to the NCAA Quarterfinals held in Athens, Ga. on May 14.
Hook 'Em Horns,
P.S. — A must-watch for all Texas fans!
go deeper with Cari Spears in her episode of Longhorn Life now streaming on LHN 🤘📲#HookEm | @EquipmentShare pic.twitter.com/sulLNu1uc1
— LHN (Longhorn Network App) (@LonghornNetwork) May 4, 2026
P.S. — The Pride and Winning Tradition of Texas Swimming and Diving!
brought our Texas Fight this year 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/mRVW39uzA6
— Texas Men's Swimming & Diving (@TexasMSD) April 29, 2026
P.S. — Kudos to Coach Metzger — AVCA and MPSF Coach of the Year!
Leader of the Longhorns🤘👏#HookEm pic.twitter.com/iPIgnpiuSM
— Texas Beach Volleyball (@TexasBeachVB) April 30, 2026
P.S. — Our All-Americans and All-MPSF honorees on the Beach!
elite recognition for an elite duo🤘👏#HookEm pic.twitter.com/okN1FkqGYK
— Texas Beach Volleyball (@TexasBeachVB) April 30, 2026
Texas Excellence🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/ZHMncanxkd
— Texas Beach Volleyball (@TexasBeachVB) April 30, 2026
P.S. — Rori epitomizes The Pride and Winning Tradition of The University of Texas!
unmatched impact 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/2ySTzKMvMs
— Texas Women's Basketball (@TexasWBB) May 2, 2026
P.S. — Our guy Jarrett Allen did some work in the NBA Playoffs!
our guy went off in game seven 😤🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/j13fps7zmH
— Texas Men's Basketball (@TexasMBB) May 4, 2026
P.S. — Horns Up to our SEC Community Service Award Winners!
more than just athletes 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/3KgavKj98T
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) April 30, 2026
P.S. — Congrats to our U.S. Open Qualifier, Lauren Kim!
No stoppin' Kim 💪⛳️@TexasWGolf's Lauren Kim is headed to her 3rd @uswomensopen!#NCAAGolf x @TexasLonghorns pic.twitter.com/WHmK2gxcsR
— NCAA (@NCAA) May 1, 2026
P.S. — What Starts Here — Congrats to our Longhorn Legend, Justin Leonard!
Welcome to the Team! 🇺🇸
— Ryder Cup USA (@RyderCupUSA) May 2, 2026
Captain Jim Furyk has named Justin Leonard a Vice Captain for the 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor.#GoUSA pic.twitter.com/0Gzln4qGNs
P.S. — We are Family!
thank you seniors 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/AEPHJ0HR7z
— Texas Softball (@TexasSoftball) May 2, 2026
P.S. — LOVE THIS!
we guess you could say coach was impressed with Reese's skills 🏊♀️🤘#HookEm | @LiveHumann pic.twitter.com/SMegALqAWq
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) April 30, 2026
HEADLINES:
No. 5 Women's Golf's Ianello named to WGCA National Coach of the Year Watch List:
No. 4 Baseball's Volantis tabbed SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week:
No. 9 Women's Tennis advances to NCAA second round:
Women's Basketball signs transfer Jada Bediako:
Video: Texas and Os Episode 28, featuring Brett Crossland (Baseball), Jonathan Cunningham (Football) and Callie Krueger (Volleyball):
No. 13/15 Track & Field closes Texas Invitational with wins, top marks in rainy finale:
No. 1 Men's Tennis advances to NCAA Tournament second round:
No. 1 Rowing's Searle, Orefice earn SEC weekly honors:
No. 2 Beach Volleyball's Metzger named AVCA Coach of the Year:
Hook 'Em's Community Heroes – April 2026:
Great read on our Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR), Mechele Dickerson:
No. 13/15 Track & Field earns multiple victories on opening day of Texas Invitational:
No. 2 Beach Volleyball's Piersma, Hashman named AVCA Collegiate Beach All-Americans:
No. 5 Softball's Kavan, Stewart named top 25 finalists for USA Softball's Collegiate Player of the Year:
Video: Longhorn Foundation Impact Series: Sports Medicine with Allen Hardin
Women's Golf's Farah O'Keefe named to ANNIKA Award Postseason Watch List:
No. 4 Baseball walks off Sam Houston, 15-14:
Women's Golf's Lauren Kim qualifies for U.S. Women's Open:
Men's Basketball signs Mikey Lewis:
