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Posted

Happy that Devin stuck it out for 4 years, but Whitney needs to be the other Opposite for the remainder of the season. 

Unfortunately, I have doubts that this team will make it far into the tournament without good blocking and tough serving.

 

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Posted

Not sure why having issues in line-up this late in the season.

Defense is struggling and serving issues just stupid mistakes. 

Hope we get our shit together... 😬

Posted
19 minutes ago, Js1 said:

Elliot decided to start experimenting up 2-0 and it almost bit him in the ass

He made too many changes in the 3rd set and it threw off the team’s rhythm until they switched back to the regular lineup in the 5th. 
 

Whitney was at OH instead of Abby and it was painfully obvious Whitney struggles hitting sets off of Ella. 

Devin was the Opp in the 6-2 dub sub and she struggled scoring.

And then he had Ramsay playing left back and Emma middle back. I actually think that’s what should have been done from the start of the season, but it’s too late to make that change. 

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Posted
9 hours ago, TexasDPT said:

He made too many changes in the 3rd set and it threw off the team’s rhythm until they switched back to the regular lineup in the 5th. 

It's far too late in the season to be doing that - if you're up 2-0, then finish it off and go home. 

Regular season ends Sunday with South Carolina, then it is on to Savannah for the SEC tournament, where Texas is very likely the #3 seed, behind Kentucky and aggy.  Double bye to the quarterfinals. 

  • aggy has H2H over Texas if aggy drops their final match and Texas wins their final match
  • Kentucky has H2H over aggy if they drop their final match and aggy wins their final match

#3 seed plays Sunday, November 23, 30 minutes after the previous match, so likely in the 7pm - 8pm range on SEC Network.  We would play the winner of the #6 seed vs the winner of the #11/14 matchup.  If we win that one, we would also play the late match on Monday as well versus likely #2 aggy in the semifinals. 

https://www.secsports.com/2025-sec-volleyball-tournament-bracket

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Posted

I read that Camille Presley was trying to graduate early and enroll in the summer 2026 at Texas instead of spring or summer 2027

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Posted

Some of Elliott's experimenting had the feel of hitting the panic button. I think he was deluded into thinking what he had was enough to win the championship as long as the team went undefeated, even if the issues were patently clear. Then we lost to A&M and Florida, and it's like NOW he wants to address some stuff, but he doesn't really have the tools at his disposal, so we get this kitchen sink thing going on. 

I feel like it was obvious we were working on making the serving more effective against Auburn, by hitting it lower over the net. Well, we got the first part right, in terms of hitting it lower, but didn't do so hot on the over the net part. Swindle has had problems all year, so nothing new there. But Gary has been serving lollipops over the net all season, and now hits 3 right into the net, with her ace coming off a tape hit that an inch or two lower it falls on the Texas side. Binney even got into the act with a serve into the net. 

Then you have Bunton, who had two fantastic serve rotations early, then couldn't get it into the court to save her life. There have been several serves this year where the ball misses the inline by less than a foot, and I think, "Ah well. That's the price of trying to serve deep to get the opponent out of system." But she regularly blasts serves out of the arena. She had 3 of those this match, as well as another one into the net. One of those came after a timeout from Auburn when she was on a run. That's okay. We score some points and then she commits a service error, that's a trade I take all day any day. But the others came on her first serve, and effectively nullified her service rotation. At some point it's not worth the cost of having more service pressure, and as a fan I'm desperate for this team to find a way to get more pressure on their serve. She has to be able to get the ball in the court. Full stop. 

Unless he said something to her beforehand, he sent a signal to Vander Wal she was getting pulled for poor play in favor of Lauenstein. I really like what Lauenstein is bringing to the team this late in the season. I'm assuming she's finally healthy. I wish she could do it from the service line, too, but maybe that part just isn't there right now. She was the best server at Nebraska when she played for the Cornhuskers. 

The middle production is woeful. We have 3 players in Ames, Bunton, and Harvey who show all kinds of potential, but they cannot consistently close out the block to either pin to save their lives. I don't know whether the lack of production in scoring from the position is due to passing, setting, or the middles, or likely a combination of the three, but the fact is we don't use our middles all that much in attack. Harvey in particular seems like a waste when she's out there. She never even gets attempts. And she looks so good when she does. 

Our backrow makes spectacular play after spectacular play. But both Gary and Halter can sometimes feel like they're underperforming, too. I will say there are plenty of times I think Halter is our best setting option, especially behind the 10' line. 

I feel like Spears out of the back row is our X factor. I agree her sets are not good, but if we give up on that we give up on beating another elite team in the regional finals or better. 

For all the teams' problems, I'm still a big fan. In the fourth set when it looked like Auburn had it in the bag at 23-18, and Texas came roaring back, forcing the Auburn coach to use both of his timeouts, I felt like that was typical Texas. There's no quit in this team. The problem is, you have to dig yourself into a hole to show it, and this team too often digs a lot of holes for itself. 

Posted
26 minutes ago, SL Xpress said:

The problem is, you have to dig yourself into a hole to show it, and this team too often digs a lot of holes for itself. 

Yes

But I often have to remind myself how young this team is and how many players are just new

Stafford/Gary - first years in the program
AVW/Spears/Harvey - true freshmen
Swindle - had to split time and lost her starting job last year
Ames - true sophomore
Bunton - first year starting after a RS and being a backup
Whit - coming off injury
Binney - played sparingly a year ago, mostly as a serving sub

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Posted (edited)
6 minutes ago, Js1 said:

Yes

But I often have to remind myself how young this team is and how many players are just new

Stafford/Gary - first years in the program
AVW/Spears/Harvey - true freshmen
Swindle - had to split time and lost her starting job last year
Ames - true sophomore
Bunton - first year starting after a RS and being a backup
Whit - coming off injury
Binney - played sparingly a year ago, mostly as a serving sub

For sure. I have zero problems with this team, really. It's been a breath of fresh air compared to last year. 

I feel like some of the issues posters have with the team on this thread come from the standard being so high at Texas. I'm unconvinced this team ever had the makings of a national championship team without some luck on their side. The only time I thought differently was after the back to back shellackings of TCU/Baylor. But every other match has seemed like a lot of gum and bailing wire to win some of the sets, even if the match score was impressive. 

And the two losses aren't bad at all for some of the same reasons. They just couldn't overcome their own deficiencies. But there's still a remarkable amount of talent on this team. Just some big holes, too. 

Edited by SL Xpress
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Posted

Barring an unexpected collapse by Nebraska, everyone else in the field has a runner-up ceiling this year. With that in mind, I’m fine with Elliot experimenting to learn as much as possible about his roster’s capabilities as long as it helps solidify what type of players he needs to grab in the portal for us to make a run next season. We need blocking. We need servers. 

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Posted

Once the tournament begins, it only takes one bad or unlucky day, or maybe one unfortunate key injury.  So no reason not to  think positively and try to be at their best when it counts, and if they come home on their shields then that’s ok. 

Posted (edited)
9 minutes ago, perfectchaos007 said:

Barring an unexpected collapse by Nebraska, everyone else in the field has a runner-up ceiling this year. With that in mind, I’m fine with Elliot experimenting to learn as much as possible about his roster’s capabilities as long as it helps solidify what type of players he needs to grab in the portal for us to make a run next season. We need blocking. We need servers. 

My offseason expectation would be:

GRADUATING - Devin, Emma (😭)
TRANSFER - Gaido, Kenna Miller, maybe Anja
FRESHMEN - OH Henley Anderson, L Emma Cugino, S Genevieve Harris, possibly MB Camille Presley in the summer if she graduates early
TRANSFERS - ??? 

2026:

OH - Stafford and AVW/Anderson
OPP - Spears (with Whit in the double sub)
MB - Ames and Harvey/Bunton (RS for Presley if she enrolls early)
S - Swindle (with Binney in the double sub)
L - Gary (possibly a good use of the double libero here, with a serving libero and a passing libero)
DS - Krueger / Anja (if she stays) / Cugino (or she takes a RS like Krueger did)

But Anja should NOT be a serving sub, lol 
 

Edited by Js1
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Posted
1 minute ago, perfectchaos007 said:

Barring an unexpected collapse by Nebraska, everyone else in the field has a runner-up ceiling this year. With that in mind, I’m fine with Elliot experimenting to learn as much as possible about his roster’s capabilities as long as it helps solidify what type of players he needs to grab in the portal for us to make a run next season. We need blocking. We need servers. 

I think a team with tough serving can give Nebraska a fight. The Big Ten doesn't have the multitude of great teams this year they usually do. So once Nebraska gets to the Elite Eight they're going to face a caliber of opponent they haven't seen since Kentucky in non conference, who took them to 5 sets (Creighton also took them to 5 sets). Balls that usually hit the floor pop up. Attacks are more proficient, made by more talented opponents. 

But Texas isn't that team this year. If you can't get Nebraska out of system from the service line - and Texas can't - then they're going to crush you with all their options. And they're a good serving team. I still think they're going to win the title, but I'm not willing to give them the trophy just yet. It's just that Texas doesn't have the team to beat them this year.

But that's the bar. You know Elliott isn't content with making a Final Four. I think that's a big part of the frustration he's showing lately, along with all the mad scientist moves against Auburn. He wants to win another championship, but this team doesn't have the parts to do it no matter how much he fiddles with the lineup with one match remaining on the regular season schedule. 

Nebraska isn't going anywhere next year. After that they lose Harper, Reilly, and Jackson. But Flynn looks awesome as their next setter already. Really wish we could have won that recruiting battle. And they have even more NIL money than Texas does, so if they go after the same player Texas wants in the portal, they've shown they're going to get them. 

Posted
2 minutes ago, Js1 said:

My offseason expectation would be:

GRADUATING - Devin, Emma (😭)
TRANSFER - Gaido, Kenna Miller, maybe Anja
FRESHMEN - OH Henley Anderson, L Emma Cugino, S Genevieve Harris, possibly MB Camille Presley in the summer if she graduates early
TRANSFERS - ??? 

2026:

OH - Stafford and AVW/Anderson
OPP - Spears (with Whit in the double sub)
MB - Ames and Harvey/Bunton (RS for Presley if she enrolls early)
S - Swindle (with Binney in the double sub)
L - Gary (possibly a good use of the double libero here, with a serving libero and a passing libero)
DS - Krueger / Anja (if she stays) / Cugino (or she takes a RS like Krueger did)

But Anja should NOT be a serving sub, lol 
 

I think it's obvious Lauenstein is gone, given all the senior day tributes.

Posted
Just now, SL Xpress said:

I think it's obvious Lauenstein is gone, given all the senior day tributes.

I believe she has the option to return? But if she's gone, she gone, and that does open up an option for Gaido to stay and be the double sub OPP 

Posted (edited)
3 minutes ago, Js1 said:

I believe she has the option to return? But if she's gone, she gone, and that does open up an option for Gaido to stay and be the double sub OPP 

I think she needs to be granted a waiver by the NCAA, which requires a school to apply for it. I don't actually know what's going on there. But I do know she's being recognized as a senior, both by Texas and by Florida when Texas played there on senior night. In any case, I'd add her to the list of transfers/graduating. It's clear to me she won't be at Texas next year in any case.

Edit - you know I say that, but it wouldn't be the first time an athlete was recognized as a senior and then granted the waiver. I believe that happened to Caffey at Nebraska. I know it happened to my niece (not volleyball). So maybe I should cool my jets.

Edited by SL Xpress
Posted (edited)
7 minutes ago, SL Xpress said:

I think she needs to be granted a waiver by the NCAA, which requires a school to apply for it. I don't actually know what's going on there. But I do know she's being recognized as a senior, both by Texas and by Florida when Texas played there on senior night. In any case, I'd add her to the list of transfers/graduating. It's clear to me she won't be at Texas next year in any case.

Edit - you know I say that, but it wouldn't be the first time an athlete was recognized as a senior and then granted the waiver. I believe that happened to Caffey at Nebraska. I know it happened to my niece (not volleyball). So maybe I should cool my jets.

I think she has a pink shirt still.  I assume she's recognized in the event the waiver is denied, so she at least gets her Senior Day just in case. 

Edited by Js1
Posted
1 minute ago, Js1 said:

I think she has a pink shirt still.  I assume she's recognized in the event the waiver is denied, so she at least gets her Senior Day just in case. 

You're probably right. 

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