As a Cornhusker fan, I want to believe. I want to believe UT fans care about beating Nebraska in volleyball. I want to believe that they were passionate about taking down the then-No. 2 team in the nation last week. But they don’t, and they didn’t. No matter how good Nebraska is Texas fans will never care. With Oklahoma, however, that’s a different story.
On Saturday, Nov. 6, the No. 8 Texas Longhorns (16-5, 11-2 Big 12) will go up against their longtime rival Oklahoma Sooners (17-7, 9-4 Big 12) at Gregory Gymnasium, 4pm. I know I’d be beating a dead horse if I talked about the rivalry between the Sooners and Longhorns. I still have to say something because, traditionally, a rivalry consists of two teams that are evenly matched and that virtually exchange victories against each other every other match.
In football, that might be the case between these two schools. In volleyball? Not so much.
While the football programs have played each other 105 years in a row, the volleyball programs only started playing regularly when the Big 12 was formed in 1994. Since then, Texas has owned Oklahoma with a 36-2 record. Hardly a rivalry, right?
With these two schools you don’t need two powerhouses to make it feel like a rivalry. Oklahoma has never been a hotbed for volleyball, but that’s not going to keep Texas fans from watching the Longhorns dismantle the Sooners yet again. Yes, that’s a prediction. And here’s another one: Gregory Gym is going to be packed this weekend, evenly matched opponents be damned. Attendance won’t be as large as it was against Nebraska (3,235), but it should be their second-highest turnout of the year. (Last year’s OU game drew 2,700-plus.)
Let’s not forget that you can go online and for $7 you can get a ticket and a T-shirt! What a steal!
Seriously, though, I don’t actually have to convince you to go this game, right? It’s Texas-Oklahoma. Texas is good, OU is mediocre. It’s not like you’re going to stay at home and watch the football game, right? Make the smart call and go watch a UT program that actually has a chance to put up a good performance. You’ll thank me later.
Vs. Oklahoma: Sat., Nov. 6, 4pm. Gregory Gym, 2101 Speedway, UT Campus, 476-6666.
This article appears in November 5 • 2010.