Hooked on Winning: A Check-In After Undefeated Non-Conference Play

The Horns have started on a perfect 8-0 run in the non-conference schedule before they begin their SEC slate on Wednesday when they take on Vanderbilt at home. That run has exceeded all expectations with 7 ranked wins and 6 undefeated wins against top-12 opponents. There's not much argument against the fact that Texas has the best resume in the country.

But as a reminder, there was a lot of uncertainty around the Longhorns just a few weeks ago. Returning only two starters from last season (3 if you count Ella Swindle), there's a lot of roster turnover between both the transfer portal and the talented freshman class, and according to Jerritt Elliott, "how we'd gel and how we'd play was more of an unknown for us" before the season began.

There were some big question marks, like will the freshmen perform when called upon? Will a consistent second attacking option emerge to complement Torrey Stafford? Cari Spears has answered both of those questions with a resounding 'yes' all on her own. She has developed into not just a complement to Stafford, but more into a 1A/1B situation (and I'll let you tell me who is 1A and who is 1B). 

Associate HC David Hunt divides the season into thirds in his mind. In non-conference play, it's all about establishing an identity and figuring out players' roles on the team. Throughout most of conference play, the main goal is to clean up technical stuff and get better in practice. Towards the end of conference play and in the SEC and NCAA tournaments, the team will refine their identity and lean on their strengths. Following stage 1 of the season, Hunt says the overall culture and identity has been the strongest thing they've been able to cement. He defines the team's identity as "gritty" and "resilient," something that was proven in two separate come-from-behind fifth set victories.

Hunt adds that the team has good "role clarity" at this point in the season— and that goes far beyond on-the-court roles. It's more about emotional leadership, voices on the court, who everyone looks to in big moments, who maintains high standards in practice, who keeps the bench together, things like that. And the staff has tried to make that "as organic as possible," focusing on allowing players to be themselves and trying not to pigeon-hole them into roles that don't suit them. The coaches at Texas are big believers in the fact that no matter who's on the court, every player has a role and every role is important to the team's success.

There does seem to be some role clarity on the court as well though, with Elliott saying "we feel pretty good about our lineup right now." Going forward, we shouldn't expect too much to change with how players are used in matches as the staff takes an "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach, with one notable exception. Elliott says that right now, "we feel really good about all three of our middle blockers. We think that we're gonna need them... so we're trying to get everybody an opportunity." We've seen some shifting in the lineup at MB with Taylor Harvey getting some more reps recently and making a splash. The most recent game against Baylor was the first one without Ayden Ames in the starting lineup. Expect these two and Nya Bunton to continue shifting in and out of the lineup to all get some experience, with the rest of the lineup remaining consistent.

Looking forward, the new goal of the season becomes making tactical improvements as we enter Hunt's second stretch of the year. As Elliott puts it, coaches are hoping to "accelerate that learning curve" especially for their star freshmen with extra film review, one-on-one sessions, etc., highlighting footwork, transition positions, and attack selection as key areas of emphasis. Elliott says the most recent matches against TCU and Baylor have been the most complete matches the team has played, so the trajectory is only looking upward from here.

Texas prepares to continue their difficult schedule through SEC play, which has an argument to be the best conference in volleyball this season. Historically, conference play has not tested the Longhorns but there's a different look this year with a strong performance from the conference as a whole throughout the non-conference schedule. Tune in for the Horns' first SEC matchup this Wednesday at 8 pm when Vanderbilt comes to Austin for their first ever match in Gregory gym.