Road to Louisville: Part I
Breaking down the 2024 Texas volleyball schedule
Just last Friday, Texas volleyball finally unveiled their 2024 schedule to the masses. Jerritt Elliott has a tendency to launch these things late, but by the time the social media accounts released the graphic, many in the fan base had already pieced together 17 of the 24 matches featured on the calendar. I know that “a wizard is never late” and yadda yadda yadda, but help us sickos out in the heat of the summer, Jerritt.
With a successful European tour completed by the team in May, all eyes can finally turn to the road ahead as Texas looks to turn their back-to-back title defense into a threepeat. In this series of articles, we’ll inspect each of the 22 different opponents which make up the regular season slate. To whoever at the SEC decided to feed the hate and give us home-and-home series with Oklahoma and Texas A&M: thank you!
On that note, let’s get started with the first half of the non-conference opponents Texas will face this fall.
Wisconsin Badgers
2023 Record: 30-4 (17-3)
NCAA Tournament: #1 seed, lost to Texas in the national semifinal
Postseason Rank: #3
Result v Texas: L, 1-3 (22-25, 25-20, 13-25, 16-25)
Jerritt Elliott has never been one to shy away from early season challenges, and 2024 will be no exception. The Horns open the season in Milwaukee as part of the Women’s College Volleyball Showcase at Fiserv Forum with a crowd that will undoubtedly be staunchly pro-Badgers. After falling victim to the Longhorns to end their season, Wisconsin and their fans will be rabid for revenge.
Both of the kills leaders for the Badgers, 2023 AVCA National Player of the Year OH Sarah Franklin and 6’9” MB/OPP Anna Smrek, return for Wisconsin. Alongside Smrek are the only two Badgers to record more blocks in Carter Booth and CC Crawford. To anchor the Wisconsin defense, Poland’s Julia Orzol also returns after leading the team in digs and service aces. Fellow foreigner Gulce Guctekin of Turkey, #3 on the Badgers in digs and assists from the libero position, is also back in Madison.
Due to impressive setter depth in 2023, Wisconsin successfully operated the oft-maligned 6-2 system on the strength of Izzy Ashburn and MJ Hammill. Both have moved out of Madison, leaving the Badgers to rely on incoming transfer setter Carly Anderson from Montana and freshman Charlie Fuerbringer to quarterback the offense. How quickly either or both of the new setters settle into their roles will set (rimshot) the ceiling for Wisconsin in 2024.
The early tilt with the Badgers may prove to be hugely beneficial for the Longhorns, allowing them the opportunity for their fledgling middle blockers to get acclimated against a team whose new setter corps may not yet have them running the offense at maximum efficiency. The two-headed monster of Franklin and Smrek will still be a massive challenge for the young Texas block to try to conquer.
Minnesota Golden Gophers
2023 Record: 17-13 (12-8)
NCAA Tournament: Unseeded, lost to Creighton in Omaha regional final
Postseason Rank: Receiving Votes
Result v Texas: L, 1-3 (14-25, 25-23, 17-25, 23-25)
After a quick peek at the Golden Gophers’ record in 2023, one would be excused if they immediately responded “Oh, wowzers, don’cha know.” While this would of course be the expected reaction to anything happening within the boundaries of the Land of 10,000 Lakes, it would also be perfectly reflective of a setback year in Minneapolis. After being a #2 seed in the tournament in 2022, the Gophers would be the unseeded third team in the Omaha region of the bracket.
Minnesota returns OH Mckenna Wucherer and OH/OPP Lydia Grote, their second- and third-most productive offensive weapons in 2023 in terms of total kills. Setter Melani Shaffmaster is also back in maroon and gold after a campaign of nearly 1000 total assists. Grote and Shaffmaster were also #2 and #3 on the team in service aces. Shaffmaster and Wucherer accounted for the second- and fourth-most digs for the Gophers. MB Phoebe Awoleye is back for another round after leading the team with 141 blocks in 2023.
While that is a lot of production returning for Minnesota, they unfortunately fell victim to the transfer portal yet again. After Texas snagged Jenna Wenaas out of the Twin Cities between the 2022 and 2023 seasons, the Nebraska Cornhuskers took things a step further this offseason, bringing OH Taylor Landfair to Lincoln. Landfair led the Gophers in kills and aces as well as the third-most digs on the team. Minnesota’s back row will also be looking for reinforcements following the graduation of libero Kylie Murr. Oregon transfer Kate Thibault and Turkish sophomore Zeynep Palabiyik will compete for the libero role this fall.
The Longhorns will face the Golden Gophers as the second leg of the Women’s College Volleyball Showcase in Milwaukee. Texas was able to control the match with Minnesota in 2023 without issue. Lacking Landfair in 2024, this will be an excellent opportunity again for the Texas block to find its groove early in the year against a talented team. On the other side, Minnesota’s block will be weaker than the one the Horns face from Wisconsin, and the match should allow the Texas offense to fully come to life (not to imply that Madi Skinner won’t go Murder Inc. on Wiscy first).
Indiana Hoosiers
2023 Record: 21-12 (11-9)
NCAA Tournament: Did not qualify
Postseason Rank: Unranked
Result v Texas: N/A
Three matches into the campaign, and Jerritt finally affords the team a chance to take a break… Kinda? While the Hoosiers were unable to qualify for the 2023 NCAA tournament, there’s no team in the volleyball-crazed Big Ten to scoff at in the year of our Lord 2024. Despite the tourney snub, Indiana was able to collect victories over eventual tournament teams Miami (FL) and Purdue alongside five-set battles with Minnesota and Penn State. While certainly not the same level of threat as Wisconsin, it would be unwise to overlook the ladies from Bloomington.
OH Candela Alonso-Corcelles of Spain is the focal point of the Hoosier offense as she collected a team-leading 344 kills. She will undoubtedly be looking to improve on her meager .173 hitting percentage moving into 2024. OPP Avry Tatum rolls into the fall after being #3 on the team with 229 kills. L Ramsey Gary returns to lead the back row for Indiana after providing 4.34 digs/set last season. Alonso-Corcelles and Gary led the team in service aces, while #3 on the team OH Mady Saris is also back in cream and crimson. Finally, AVCA Honorable Mention All-American and First Team All-Big Ten setter Camryn Haworth provides stability and senior leadership while running the offense.
Indiana’s top two blockers, Savannah Kjolhede and Kaley Rammelsberg, have both departed the campus, so it is up to Missouri transfer Madi Sell, sophomore Ava Vickers, and freshman Ella Boersema to take over the net for the Hoosiers. Indiana also brought in USC beach volleyball’s Delaynie Maple and Jaide Cummings out of the University of Toronto to provide experienced depth for the back row to support Ramsey Gary.
Similar to Texas, the Hoosiers are hitting the reset button in the middle. Unfortunately for Indiana, they lack the offensive prowess of Madisen Skinner, Jenna Wenaas, and Reagan Rutherford to help ease the newbies into their roles. The Hoosiers will be the first opponent the Horns will see at Gregory Gym in 2024, and Texas will be itching to avoid a repeat of last season’s home opener, a sweep loss to Stanford. If there have been any hiccups from the Texas offense to this point early in the season, this would be a prime spot for a neck-crack match.
Miami (FL) Hurricanes
2023 Record: 18-12 (10-8)
NCAA Tournament: Unseeded, lost to Wisconsin in Madison regional final
Postseason Rank: Unranked
Result v Texas: N/A
After being swept out of the first round of the 2022 NCAA tournament, the Hurricanes returned to the Big Dance in 2023 and upset the eighth-seeded Northern Iowa Panthers in the Wisconsin regional. Miami was a very young team each of the past two years and now brings a deep and experienced roster into the 2024 season. Texas will welcome the rising ACC program to Gregory Gym on September 7th as their fourth opponent of the fall.
On the attacking side of things, the Canes return OH Grace Lopez following a campaign of a team-leading 407 kills while hitting .278. She is joined by fellow OH Flormarie Heredia Colon who contributed another 341 kills in 2023. Lopez and Colon were also weapons from the service line, providing the second- and third-most aces for the Hurricanes last season. Libero Naylani Feliciano and DS Yaidaliz Rosado, also return to Coral Gables to anchor Miami’s back row.
Miami, much like Indiana, finds itself looking to replace the production lost at middle blocker. Both Janice Leao and Abby Casiano move on, while Ashley Carr looks to step into a bigger role at the net. Kansas State transfer Dalia Wilson provides additional reinforcement on the block for the Hurricanes with redshirt sophomore Bianka Lulić. Setter Savannah Vach departs after a 1203 assist season, leaving the position open to one of senior Alanys Viera or the sophomore duo of Ariana Rodriguez and Taylor Polivka.
Texas was tripped up early in the season by seemingly “lesser” opponents on paper. While not thought of as highly as Washington State was in 2023 when they came to Austin, the Hurricanes present a threat to upset Texas due to their experience in the back row and on the pins. Opening the season with three tournament teams and a strong Big Ten foe presents ample opportunity for Texas to be challenged in a variety of ways. Jerritt Elliott’s aggressive early season scheduling should be taken by fans as a sign of confidence in his roster heading into the fall.