With two consecutive NCAA titles in 2022 and 2023, the Texas Longhorns Women’s Volleyball team is the one to beat. After winning their second NCAA title, the team has repeatedly ended the season as semi-finalists in finals. However, they finally cracked the code again in 2022. Since then, the University of Texas team hasn’t dropped the ball.
While the 2023 season started with a loss against Long Beach State, the team ended the season as champions. So, now the pressure is on for the reigning Big 12 and NCAA champions to replicate their success. Jerritt Elliott and his girls are gunning for a peat. Meanwhile, rivals such as the Nebraska Huskers are looking to avenge their 2023 finals loss. So let’s take a look at the legacy of the 2024 NCAA Championship favorites.
History of the NCAA Texas Longhorns volleyball women’s team
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In 1972, Title IX revolutionized women’s sports in the USA. The landmark federal law mandated colleges to include women’s sports in their programs. While many of the top NCAA teams that compete for the title today formed as a result of Title IX, Texas already had a robust intramural volleyball program. In fact, UT’s women’s volleyball program dates back to the 1920s.
Throughout the decades, the University of Texas Sports Association built a strong foundation for volmadileyball to flourish. So, unlike many prestigious teams such as the Nebraska Huskers, who had to wait until 1975 to become a sanctioned team, the Texas Longhorns achieved that goal almost instantaneously.
Yet, just because they were among the trailblazers doesn’t mean the Horns found success immediately. Coach Pam Lampley led the team to a third-place finish in 1974, but they dropped out of the top five the following year. Texas finished in eighth place in 1975 and continued producing inconsistent results until Mick Haley took the reins in 1980.
It was Haley who turned the Texas Longhorns into a powerhouse, as the team earned their first NCAA title under his tutelage in 1988. However, any discussion about the history of the Horns is incomplete without mentioning their iconic home venue.
All about the volleyball team’s home venue, records, and achievements
The Texas Longhorns have called the Gregory Gymnasium their home since 1974. While the men’s and women’s basketball teams also shared the venue in 1974, they moved out in 1977. However, the women’s volleyball has only had to move temporarily, mostly for renovations. Today the facility is a mix of both classical and modern architecture and a state-of-the-art volleyball stadium.
The unique design of the Gregory Gymnasium is a subtle mix of classic and gothic architecture, with high, arched doorways leading into the stadium. However, inside the facility looks far more modern, with enough space for 4000 Texas Longhorns fans to fill the stadium for a single event. Gregory Gymnasium is also among the few venues that sport multistory seating.
Gregory Gymnasium has undergone several major and minor renovations since it first opened its doors in 1930. The legendary venue has played host to some of the UT women’s volleyball team’s biggest achievements. One of those is the 82 percent win-home-win rate at home.
With an average per-match attendance of 1500 fans, the Texas Longhorns have maintained a stellar record at Gregory Gymnasium. However, before we move on to the current roster vying for NCAA glory, here’s a quick rundown of some of their significant achievements as a team:
- Four NCAA championship trophies. (1988, 2012, 2022, 2023)
- Five-time NCAA Championship runner-ups. (1995, 2009, 2015, 2016, 2020)
- Fifteen-time Big 12 Championship winner. (2007 to 2009, 2011 to 2015, 2017 to 2023)
Current Texas Longhorns roster and coach
With 20 women on the team, the Texas Longhorns have jumped into their season with a considerably larger roster than many of their top rivals. Take NCAA rivals the Nebraska Huskers, for example, who have 14 members. However, one reason why the roster is so large is because coach Jerritt Elliott has included redshirts in his team.
USA Volleyball Hall of Famer Elliot has an eye for developing talent. Since redshirt athletes can play up to four regular-season games, Elliott plans to use the opportunity to help freshmen such as Sydney Helmers, Nya Bunton, and others gain valuable experience. After all, 37 of the students he hand-picked have earned 82 All-America honors. Hence, the 2024 roster isn’t a small one.
- Jersey No. 1
Ella Swindle: Sophomore from Columbia, Missouri.
Position: Setter - Jersey No. 2
Emma Halter: Junior from Indianapolis, Indiana.
Position: Libero - Jersey No. 3
Rella Binney: Freshman from Lanikai, Hawaii.
Position: Setter - Jersey No. 4
Sydney Helmers: Freshman (Redshirt) from Louisville, Kentucky.
Position: Outside Hitter - Jersey No. 5
Ayden Ames: Freshman from Prosper, Texas.
Position: Middle Blocker - Jersey No. 6
Madisen Skinner: Senior from Katy, Texas
Position: Outside Hitter - Jersey No. 7
Jordyn Byrd: Freshman (Redshirt) from Bradenton, Florida
Position: Outside Hitter - Jersey No. 8
Auburn Tomkinson: Freshman (Redshirt) from Carlsbad, California
Position: Opposite Hitter - Jersey No. 9
Kenna Miller: Sophomore (Redshirt) from Justin, Texas
Position: Outside Hitter - Jersey No. 10
Reagan Rutherford: Senior (Redshirt) from Missouri City, Texas
Position: Opposite Hitter - Jersey No. 11
Marianna Singletary: Sophomore (Redshirt) from Charleston, South Carolina
Position: Middle Blocker - Jersey No. 12
Keonilei Akana: Senior from Hauula, Hawaii
Position: Libero - Jersey No. 13
Jenna Wenaas: Senior from Frisco, Texas
Position: Outside Hitter - Jersey No. 17
Averi Carlson: Junior from Lucas, Texas
Position: Setter - Jersey No. 23
Soah Franklin: Senior (Redshirt) from Los Angeles, California
Position: Middle Blocker - Jersey No. 24
Brennan Ramirez: Freshman from Waxahachie, Texas
Position: Libero - Jersey No. 26
Whitney Lauenstein: Junior (Redshirt) from Waverly, Nebraska
Position: Outside Hitter - Jersey No. 27
Reese Emerick: Freshman from Austin, Texas
Position: Libero - Jersey No. 44
Devin Kahahawai: Junior Kailua from Kailua, Hawaii
Position: Outside Hitter - Jersey No. 55
Nya Bunton: Freshman (Redshirt) from Louisville, Kentucky
Position: Middle Blocker
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Jerritt Elliott, Texas’ 56-year-old, took the reins as the Texas Longhorns’ seventh coach 23 years ago. After Jim Moore’s uneventful, short-lived stint from 1997 to 2000, Elliott revitalized the team. After just seven years under Elliott’s tutelage, the Horns scored their first Big 12 title in 2007.
However, the seventh coach in the Texas Longhorns’ history envisioned long-term success. After their success at the Big 12, the volleyball team has racked up fourteen more Big 12 trophies. Even three of their four NCAA championship titles came in a 10-year window from 2012 to 2023. Some of Coach Elliott’s most significant career highlights include:
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- Three-time NCAA Championship winner. (2012, 2022, 2023)
- AVCA Region Coach of the Year. (2004, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2021, and 2022)
- Seven-time AVCA Southwest Region Coach of the Year. (2004, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2013, 202, 2022)
- AVCA Pacific Region Coach of the Year. (2000)
- Nine-time Big 12 Coach of the Year. (2004, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2020, 2021, 2022)
- Most successful coach in Texas Longhorns history with a 589-114 record.
However, the back-to-back champions have themselves set the bar going into the 2024 season. So will the Texas Longhorns become three-time, consecutive NCAA volleyball champions? Let us know what you believe in the comments.
