Is the Texas Longhorns Setter Situation a Complete Mess or a Pre-Planned Strategy?

The Texas Longhorns is perhaps one team that has benefited from the off-season player trading the most. The 2023 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Champions have set up a formidable team and have armed themselves very strongly for 2024. But, a new development in the roster has the Texas fans both angry and confused.

The Texas Longhorns recently acquired a brilliant setter via the trading block, which has raised a lot of questions from the fans. This was a rather unexpected move since Texas has a shining setter and a considerably high offensive edge. Are the Longhorns executing some brilliant strategy here, or is Texas in some serious damage-control mode right now?

What is the setter scenario of the Texas Longhorns?

Averi Carlson, the star setter of the Baylor Bears who helped the green team reach the playoffs, is now a Texas Longhorns player. Playing as a sophomore for Baylor, Carlson has flashy numbers on her 2023 resume, with 1188 assists and 37 service aces. 

Moreover, she also secured 247 digs this season, which was the second-most for the Bears. Carlson is a great setter in every sense and meaning. But, the Texas Longhorns already have a really great setter in Ella Swindle. Despite being a freshman, didn’t just record 1088 assists this year, but also racked up 88 blocks. 

So now, Texas has a blazing home-grown setter and a better but shorter setter. One explanation for this could be that head coach Jerritt Elliott might want to go for the 6-2 formation in 2024. But, while this is an effective rotation format in volleyball, it also comes with heavy downsides.

Will Jerritt Elliott actually benefit from a rotation change?

The Texas Longhorns have a really strong offensive lineup for 2024. Fiery outside hitter Reagan Rutherford of Kentucky has reunited with now-Texas star Madisen Skinner. While this already improved the Longhorns’ chances to achieve a national threepeat, they also acquired Nebraska’s opposite Whitney Lauenstein to add more bulk to their offense.

Thus, one might think that Elliott is tempted to go for the 6-2 since it will help utilize all the attackers. This will also negate the shortness of Carlson, who can scoop more digs for the Texas Longhorns in the back row. But each time Swindle would be in the front row, she could not utilize her blocking skills. Moreover, this will also burn through the 12 substitution limit, which is in place for every set.

But, the biggest problem would be that this would make the Texas Longhorns more readable. This is the same trap in which both Nebraska and Wisconsin fell in the final and semifinals, which cost them the championship. The most successful head coach in the NCAA Women’s Volleyball history, Russ Rose of Penn State, had tried out the 6-2 formation in 2017.

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While the team started with an undefeated streak, it was broken by John Cook and the Nebraska Huskers in the regular season, as well as the finals. Thus, Penn State suffered the same fate in 2017 as Nebraska in 2023 and lost just two matches the entire season. However, their last loss came in the finals. Thus, John Cook surely knows how to stomp on a 6-2 formation. Will this gamble really help the Texas Longhorns hit a third natty? Or will they end up like the Nittany Lions?

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