Senior day is supposed to be full of tears and emotion. Not for Texas’ Reagan Rutherford.

The way her teammates battled from behind in five sets to overcome a tremendous Ole Miss squad left her euphoric. With the NCAA tournament on deck, Saturday’s 3-2 win was the perfect rocket fuel so the Longhorns can launch themselves into the postseason.

Standing on the court at Gregory Gym, Rutherford held a flower arrangement, surveyed the families and fans and said, “I felt so much joy today.”

“Looking at it back a couple months ago, I probably would have been really sad if this is my last time,” Rutherford said. “But I’m just surrounded by great people, and it’s just a moment of happiness. Like, I feel so much joy and love, and I’m just happy this went so well.

“No tears today. But maybe down the road when we win a championship.”

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The 14th-ranked Longhorns got to exorcise some demons in the regular season finale. Texas lost three consecutive five-set heartbreakers midway through the SEC season. This one almost ended in the same fashion. Instead, several key seniors closed out the 26-28, 27-25, 25-23, 21-25, 17-15 victory.

No. 14 Texas finished the regular season with a 18-6 record and 13-3 mark in its first season in the SEC.

Rutherford, one of five Texas seniors, had six of her 16 blocks in the pivotal fifth set. She was one of five Horns to post double-digit kills. Senior Jenna Wenaas (13 kills) had an exceptional, full-extension dig that led to a match-point kill. And senior Keonilei Akana had the right motivational words to spark Texas out of its four-point hole.

“Keonilei said it in the timeout, we’re not done yet,” Wenaas said. “We have to believe in that. And so I think we ran off that belief that Keonilei gave at the end.”

Besides, It was senior night. Something good had to happen, Wenaas said. Bring on the NCAAs. “I don't know,” she added. “I’m just super confident going into the tournament.”

All of this happened without Texas sensation Madisen Skinner, who was ill. Skinner did not get to attend Friday night’s senior banquet and wore a mask on the sideline Saturday. The three-time national champion and All-American will be ready for the NCAA tournament, coach Jerritt Elliott insisted.

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“She couldn't go today, but she’ll be fine for next week,” Elliott said. “When you don’t have your leader out there, it shows you about a lot about what we’re doing.”

Surprise lineup switches also expose who’s staying ready and who isn’t. Count Devin Kahahawai among the former. The 6-foot-4 junior hasn’t played much the last few weeks, but she was a six-rotation player against the Rebels (17-11, 7-9 SEC). Kahahawai had a team-high 19 kills and hit .312 to go with 10 digs.

It took a full team effort to overpower Ole Miss outside hitter Nia Washington. You’d be hard pressed to find another 5-foot-10 attacker who dominated Texas like she did. Washington had 30 kills, two shy of matching her career high, and hit .227 overall.

“It was really special that we can give that win without (Skinner),” Rutherford said, “because it just shows how much depth we have and how good of a team we are.”

This hasn’t been an easy season for the Horns, who are still the reigning back-to-back national champions for a few more weeks at least. Any opponent who takes this group lightly does so at its own peril.

Focus on Texas’ three-match losing streak to Texas A&M, Missouri and Oklahoma. Or, you can look at how the Horns closed the regular season on a six-game heater.

Elliott’s club is likely to host first- and second-round games but will probably have to go on the road for the regional rounds. It’s a long way back to the Final Four, but Texas has done it both easy and hard.

“They know that we’re good enough to beat anybody on any good night,” Elliott said. “I mean, we’re gonna be a tough draw for anybody. But it’s one match at a time, and people will be ready to play us, for sure.”