Spring Season: What We Learned

The spring season for Texas has officially drawn to a close, and several players have already gone home for the month. Players have the month of May off, will return to campus most of June, have most of July off, and will return for a few more weeks of practice in August before the season gets underway. Several players will also have some international volleyball sprinkled into that summer schedule.

There was plenty that we learned about this team over the course of the spring, so let's take a look at some of the highlights:

Defense Will Be The Strength

After last season, this is a refreshing thing to be able to say. Ramsey Gary is a massive addition to the team, and there's a lot of excitement in the Texas gym about her and Emma Halter playing side by side in the back row. Texas should be in system pretty often, which will allow Ella to spread out her offense. The biggest question is what happens in the three rotations when one of these two is off the court. Torrey Stafford excels at passing and is a lock to play six rotations. After that, it becomes less clear. Could another OH step up and play six rotations? Will a third 'little' step in? Texas certainly has some viable options that would be the first DS or even Libero at some other programs. Defense wins championships?? That seems to be the philosophy, at least for this season.

Torrey Stafford Lives Up To The Hype

Last season, Stafford was a NPOY semifinalist and a First Team All-American. She was the biggest name in the winter transfer portal cycle, and she has looked every bit of that for Texas. Attacking, passing, serving, defense, she's the complete package and is the kind of OH1 that can lead a national championship-winning team.

Connections Take Time

The setter-hitter connections are something that have come along throughout the spring, but will need to continue to improve. Part of this simply comes from the fact that there are a bunch of new freshmen and transfers that are playing with Ella Swindle for the first time. But a better explanation is that the spring is a time of experimentation. Associate HC Ben Josephson is known for his priority on setting creativity, and he's brought a bunch of new concepts with him. Spring season is when you throw a bunch of stuff at the wall; some of it will stick, some of it will bounce right off. There's still some time for these connections to be refined heading into the season.

Dedication is Higher Than Ever

It seems like everybody in the Texas program, top to bottom, players, coaches, etc. is putting in more time and effort this offseason. Getting extra reps before and after practice, watching extra film, spending all their time with each other off the court too. There's a certain buzz in the air about what this group is capable of, and fans should feel that same excitement.