“Amazing night for the Texas Longhorns” puts defending champs back into NCAA semis

If it’s possible for the defending national champions to fly under the radar and still be one of the best teams in women’s volleyball, the Texas Longhorns found a way to accomplish it.

When the stakes ratcheted up, however, a proud program was more than up to the task.

The Big 12-champion Longhorns (26-4) will return to the NCAA Divisioon I Women’s Volleyball Championship national semifinals with a chance to wrangle back-to-back NCAA titles after taking down host Stanford (29-4) in four decidedly different sets (25-16, 15-25, 25-19, 25-22) Saturday night in the regional final.

In the third and fourth sets before a crowd of 4,312 at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto, California, seventh-seeded Texas rose to championship heights behind two returning stars from its 2022 title team, outside hitter Madisen Skinner and middle blocker…