Rella Runs The Show To Keep Texas Undefeated

Texas kicked off their SEC schedule with yet another sweep at home in their first ever conference matchup against Vanderbilt, making four consecutive matches without dropping a set. Vandy made Texas earn the third set, but for most of the match the Longhorns were completely in control. The most interesting story from the night is that the player at the helm was backup setter Rella Binney with Ella Swindle sidelined due to injury. This injury is only a short-term issue, but Binney was dominant in her absence, leading the Horns to a .446 hitting percentage in her first career start.

Of course if you ask her about the match, she won't take any of the credit. She immediately pointed to her teammates, saying "It makes it really easy when everyone around you is super good." And she gave more credit about her pre-game mindset entering her first ever start: "I got a lot of trust from my coaches and my teammates that I could do it. So they make me feel really confident in myself." But the truth is that Binney just balled out. She kept the machine that is the Texas Volleyball offense humming as it always does.

Despite the fact that she has spent very little time in practice as a front row setter, she was thrust into a 6-rotation starter role and excelled. In fact, the highlight of the night was an out-of-system third contact that was lofted up to Binney where she took a hard swing for the kill. She may be a shorter setter, but that didn't stop her from looking like Ella Swindle out there with a little aggressiveness at the net. Binney said "It took me back to my beach volleyball days... I saw a sharp angle and I was like, I'm gonna rip this."

After the match, setter coach Ben Josephson summed up what he thought about her performance with a simple answer: "I'm not surprised." He said "We see that every single day" in both practices and when she comes in for the double sub during matches, the only difference being that this time she did it fully in the spotlight in front of a packed Gregory gym. "As a coach, all you hope is that your athlete's performance reflects what they do in training every day," and that's what Texas fans got to witness against Vanderbilt.

I asked Binney what advice she would give herself if she could go back to before the match began, and she would say to "just trust yourself a little more... when everyone around you is as talented as they are, all you have to do is play your volleyball that you do every day." That Binney brand of volleyball certainly worked this time around, showing that the offense is in good hands with the backup setter. Another bit of Binney's self talk is that "you're better than you think," and after that match I think Texas fans will surely agree.

Texas continues their difficult schedule with a ranked matchup at home on Friday night when Marina Crownover makes her return to Austin with the Missouri Tigers. The Horns look to remain undefeated, and the mindset right now is 1-0 in SEC play.