Blocker Battle: Expected Starters in the Middle

For the second season in a row, Texas' middles in 2025 will look pretty different from the year prior after Marianna Singletary transferred to what is all of a sudden a very exciting program at UCLA after receiving several high-caliber transfers. Singletary was considered by many to be Texas' #1 MB last season, posting 1.95 kills/set and 1.38 blocks/set, working mostly alongside Ayden Ames, who posted 1.56 kills/set and 0.92 blocks/set. Both players were first-year starters last season, and Texas will continue to roll with a group of middles low in experience level yet very talented. So let's take a closer look at the options for this season and who's likely to earn the starting job.

The first player to know is Ayden Ames, the only returning middle with experience regularly playing in matches for Texas. The sophomore won Gatorade National Player of the Year in high school and earned her starting role as a true freshman, a very difficult and rare thing to do at MBU. She leans towards an offense-first mentality and brings big energy to the team on major plays. Being the only experienced player on the team, Ames is the most likely player to earn one of the two starting spots, though experience alone doesn't guarantee her a role.

Next on the list is Nya Bunton, who has been with the Longhorns for two seasons now but has yet to see regular court time, redshirting her first year then appearing in 11 sets last season. She has spent much of her college career dealing with lingering injury issues, but was a full participant throughout most of the spring and is ready to go for the 2025 season. Bunton often flies under the radar since she hasn't seen the court very much, but she's probably the best blocker on the team and is a former high school First Team All-American herself. Don't count her out for a breakout season, she's the next most likely to be a starter.

Finally, we've got the incoming #1 freshman MB in the 2025 class, Taylor Harvey. She has an elite vertical and long reach that makes her an offensive powerhouse able to hit over or around just about any block. She certainly has the talent to compete with the other middles on the roster, but she's also the only freshman that did not come to Austin to train throughout the spring. She will have a relatively short amount of time training in Texas before the season starts. Harvey has also spent her time in club volleyball as an OH rather than a MB, and she'll have to learn the complex blocking schemes Texas is looking to implement. For those reasons, I'd be a little surprised if Harvey was a starter this season, but I'd also be surprised if she doesn't see the court at all this year. Don't expect Harvey to redshirt, because at the very least she'll be ready to go in when Ames or Bunton are injured or off their game.

Expect to see contributions from all three players throughout the season. It's not too deep of a position group with only one player on the bench, but there's a very even distribution of talent between the middles on the roster, so be ready for all of them to be involved. Similar to last year, this is a very young core of middles but also one that will be ready to compete come fall.