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Incoming Longhorn just named nation’s best volleyball player

January 25, 2017, 11:00 am
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For the first time, the top high school volleyball player in the country will be a Longhorn.

Texas-bound outside hitter Lexi Sun was recognized as the Gatorade National Volleyball Player of the Year on Wednesday. Sun is the first Longhorn-to-be to win the award, which is given annually to the nation’s premier preps player. During the 1995-96 school year, Kerri Walsh became Gatorade’s first honoree for the sport of volleyball.

“I think it just gives me more incentive to work hard and get better every day,” Sun said. “It’s just giving me more drive to get better.”

Sun attends Santa Fe Christian in Solana Beach, Calif., and she was presented the Gatorade award by Olympian April Ross on Wednesday morning. As Sun and her high school teammates were playing volleyball on the beach, Ross rode up on a bike and surprised her with ice cream and the accolade.

“The award kind of speaks for itself,” said Ross, who was Gatorade’s top volleyball player for the 1999-2000 school year. “It’s a huge confidence boost, especially going into college to know how much your coach believes in you, that you’re officially the best player in the nation and that you’re also being recognized for your academics and community service.”

During her senior year, the 6-2 Sun averaged 5.9 kills and 2.7 digs per set.  In December, Sun was recognized as MaxPreps’ Player of the Year and named the West team’s MVP at the Under Armour All-America volleyball match. PrepVolleyball.com listed Sun as the top recruit in the Class of 2017.

Sun represents 25 percent of Texas’ 2017 recruiting class. Middle blocker Brionne Butler and libero Olivia Zelon have already enrolled at Texas, but Sun still has oceanography, film and English classes to wrap up. She plans to move to Austin in June.

“It’s all happening so quickly, and I’m excited to get to play with the girls, move to Austin and start a new chapter in my life,” Sun said.

Sun’s acceptance of the Gatorade award isn’t the only news that broke for the Longhorns this week. One day earlier, Sun gained two future teammates as Skylar Fields and Naomi Cabello gave verbal commitments to Texas.

A 6-2 outside hitter from Missouri City’s Ridge Point High, Fields was the only sophomore on the Texas Girls Coaches Association’s Class 6A all-state team in 2016. Cabello is a Florida freshman, and she averaged 5.0 assists and 2.1 kills per set this past fall for East Ridge High.

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Texas-bound Lexi Sun joins the Longhorns’ alliance of Gatorade winners

January 26, 2017, 5:56 am
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On Wednesday, Texas fans rejoiced as Lexi Sun was named the Gatorade National Volleyball Player of the Year for the 2016-17 school year.

Sun has signed with Texas, and the California native will soon become the first Longhorn volleyball player with the Gatorade award on her resume. Gatorade annually honors the top high school standouts in a myriad of sports that range from girls cross-country to football.

Gatorade began recognizing athletic achievements during the 1985-86 school year. Since then, 10 future Longhorns have been honored by the company.

FOOTBALL

  • Garrett Gilbert (2008-09)
  • Johnathan Gray (2011-12)

GIRLS BASKETBALL

  • Susan Anderson (1985-86)
  • Vicki Hall (1987-88)

VOLLEYBALL

  • Lexi Sun (2016-17)

SOFTBALL

  • Cat Osterman (2000-01)

GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD

  • Ychlindria Spears (2000-01)
  • Sanya Richards (2001-02)
  • Bianca Knight (2005-06)

BOYS TRACK AND FIELD

  • Brendan Christian (2001-02)

No Longhorn-to-be has won a Gatorade Player of the Year award in boys cross-country, girls cross-country, boys basketball or girls soccer. The Gatorade Player of the Year in baseball during the 2015-16 school year, Kyle Muller was a Texas signee who eventually opted to join the Atlanta Braves’ organization out of high school.

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Spring schedule set for Texas volleyball team

January 31, 2017, 7:30 am
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For Texas’ volleyball team, the off-season is a short season.

Texas will participate in two tournaments this spring, the team announced on Monday. Texas travel to Houston’s F.A.S.T. Tournament on April 8 and Dallas’ Collegiate Showcase Tournament on April 15. The Longhorns will then close out the spring season with a home match against North Texas on April 18.

Texas is less than seven weeks removed from its appearance in the NCAA championship game. Setter Chloe Collins and outside hitter Paulina Prieto Cerame are now playing professional in Span and in Puerto Rico, but they joined Nicole Dalton as the only seniors on Texas’ 2016 roster.

Outside hitters Ebony Nwanebu and Micaya White were both AVCA All-Americans in 2016, and they are among seven returners who played in at least 20 matches in 2016. The Longhorns will also welcome back Chiaka Ogbogu, an All-American middle blocker who was sidelined by academic issues this past fall. Half of the Longhorns’ highly-rated recruiting class — middle blocker Brionne Butler and libero Olivia Zelon — has already enrolled at Texas, and both freshmen will participate in spring drills.

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Ex-Longhorn to coach a high school volleyball team in Kansas

March 5, 2017, 5:37 pm
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The next time that Nicole Dalton steps onto a volleyball court, it will be as a coach.

Dalton has been named the head volleyball coach at Shawnee Mission East, a high school in Prairie Village, Kan. Dalton recently completed her collegiate career at Texas, and she now takes over a program that went 31-10 in 2016. The Lancers finished third in the Class 6A state playoffs.

During her five years in Austin, Dalton won a NCAA title in 2012 and all five of her teams reached the Final Four (Dalton was sidelined in 2013 because of an injury). Recruited as a setter from Colorado, the six-foot-two-inch Dalton eventually developed into a defensive role at Texas. Dalton also spent her last three seasons as a team captain.

Dalton was one of three seniors on a Texas team that reached the NCAA championship match in 2016. Outside hitter Paulina Prieto Cerame opted for a professional career in Puerto Rico following her graduation. Setter Chloe Collins signed with a volleyball club in Spain.

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Texas to send five representatives on USA Volleyball’s tour of Thailand

April 3, 2017, 1:36 pm
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Texas volleyball coach Jerritt Elliott and four of his Longhorns are heading to Thailand.

USA Volleyball announced on Monday that Elliott will serve as the head coach for the U.S. Women’s Collegiate Thailand Tour. Elliott will coach a 12-player team that includes four Longhorns: Chiaka Ogbogu, Yaazie Bedart-Ghani, Morgan Johnson, and Micaya White. The players were selected after participating in an early-March tryout in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Kansas outside hitter Madison Rigdon, who hails from nearby Pflugerville, is also on the roster.

Kansas’ Madison Rigdon prepares to compete against Texas during a match at Gregory Gym Saturday, Sept. 24, 2016. (Stephen Spillman / for American-Statesman)

The Longhorns and their countrymen will compete in Bangkok from May 19-30.  They are scheduled to play the Thailand National Team, the Thailand U23 Team and Bangkok Glass. The U.S. Women will also play two undetermined opponents. According to a Texas press release, Bangkok Glass is the Thai professional league’s top team.

Bedart-Ghani and Johnson are both middle blockers who helped lead Texas to the 2016 NCAA championship match during their sophomore seasons. White, meanwhile, led Texas in kills and was the Big 12’s Freshman of the Year and an AVCA All-American outside hitter. Ogbogu was sidelined by academics in 2016, but the three-time All-American middle blocker is set to rejoin Texas for her senior season.

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Texas sports notebook: Longhorns don’t expect a transfer to fill Collins’ shoes

April 20, 2017, 3:15 pm
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This fall, Texas volleyball will count three All-Americans and the nation’s top two recruits among its offensive options.

Who, though, is going to set those players up?

All-American setter Chloe Collins, No. 4 on UT’s career assists list, is now a Texas Ex. Her graduation leaves Riley Fisbeck as the only setter on the current roster since highly-regarded prospect Ashley Shook is still in high school. And Fisbeck didn’t play during her first year, so neither of the Longhorns setters will have any collegiate experience.

Fisbeck, a La Grange native, distributed 38 assists over four sets in Texas’ spring-ending exhibition against North Texas on Tuesday. Shook, meanwhile, is an Under Armour All-American out of Illinois who was rated as the Class of 2017’s sixth-best recruit. (Fellow signees Lexi Sun and Brionne Butler topped that PrepVolleyball.com list).

“(Riley) works so hard. I know how bad she wants to be good, so that’s awesome to see. We all have confidence in her,” libero Cat McCoy said. “Ashley is an amazing setter. I think it’s going to be great for her to come in and compete for a spot from day one.”

Texas football coach Tom Herman has spent time eyeing “the waiver wire” this spring in search of a graduate transfer who could join younger quarterbacks Shane Buechele and Sam Ehlinger on the depth chart. Would volleyball coach Jerritt Elliott do the same thing for the quarterback of his team?

“I don’t think so,” said Elliott, who is entering his 17th season at Texas.  “Ashley’s really, really good, and I thought Riley played her best match of the spring. We just need to keep developing them and see what happens.”

Texas’ Yaasmeen Bedart-Ghani(27) hits over TCU’s Natalie Gower(19) during a Big 12 Conference match at Gregory Gym Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2016. (Stephen Spillman / for American-Statesman)

Moving back:  Yaazie Bedart-Ghani earned NCAA all-tournament honors as an outside hitter in 2015, but she made a mid-season move to middle blocker this past year as Texas attempted to address a need. Bedart-Ghani averaged 1.68 kills and 0.97 blocks per set in 2016, and the 6-4-sophomore connected on 13 of her 14 attempts in a postseason win over UT-Rio Grande Valley.

The hole that Bedart-Ghani was asked to fill this past season, though, no longer exists. In fact, Texas may have too much depth in the middle.

After missing the 2016 season, three-time All-American middle blocker Chiaka Ogbogu has rejoined the team. Junior-to-be Morgan Johnson is coming off a 150-block year. Butler has already enrolled at Texas, and the Longhorns have high hopes for rising sophomore Orie Agbaji.

So Bedart-Ghani will shift back to the outside, where Elliott says she will be used as either an outside or opposite hitter. In addition to Bedart-Ghani, Texas can attack from the pins with All-Americans Micaya White (4.03 kpg) and Ebony Nwanebu (3.74 kpg). Sun is also the reigning Gatorade Player of the Year.

“I’d love to be on one of the pins,” Bedart-Ghani said. “I think that’s where a lot of my strengths lie. We’ll see.”

Texas Cat McCoy (8) celebrates a point against Texas Tech during a Big 12 Conference match at Gregory Gym Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2016. (Stephen Spillman / for American-Statesman)

Globetrotting: Now that the spring season is over, some members of the volleyball team can shift their attention to traveling. In May, Elliott will lead a team of college players that includes Bedart-Ghani, Ogbogu, Johnson and White on an exhibition tour through Thailand. Earlier that month, Elliott, Butler and graduate assistant Kevin Inlow also will join forces on a U.S. women’s junior national team that will compete in Costa Rica.

Three Longhorns also will be in Haiti in May, although they won’t be appearing on a volleyball court.

McCoy will be joined by Nwanebu and defensive specialist Natalie Gilbert on a mission trip there from May 24-31. The players will work with a group called “Longhorns for Haiti,” which includes members of the school’s soccer program. McCoy said she had always wanted to go on a mission trip, but it was hard to schedule one around her volleyball obligations.

“(We’re going to) just help out and spread God’s love,” McCoy said. “It’s going to be awesome.”

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Minnesota, Texas A&M and the Big 12 await as Texas unveils 2017 schedule

May 4, 2017, 1:16 pm
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Texas volleyball fans are hoping that the 2017 season ends in Kansas City. It will begin in Florida.

Texas is scheduled to play 26 times during the 2017 regular season, the school announced on Thursday. Texas, which just wrapped up its spring practices, has reached the Final Four in each of the past five seasons, and an experience-laden team is expected to once again contend for a national title. This year’s NCAA championship game will be held in Kansas City.

Texas is set to open its 2017 season at the VERT Challenge, and the Longhorns will play Florida in Gainesville. After playing five times in Florida and San Diego, Texas will meet A&M-Corpus Christi on Sept. 7 in its first match in Gregory Gym.

Other notable dates on Texas’ schedule include a home match on Sept. 8 against Final Four qualifier Minnesota and a Sept. 13 trip to Texas A&M. Texas plays its first Big 12 match at West Virginia on Sept. 23. Kansas, which won the Big 12 title in 2016, hosts the Longhorns on Oct. 11 before visiting Austin on Nov. 15.

Texas’ complete schedule can be found on the school’s website.

Texas’ Autumn Rounsaville(13) sets against Texas A&M during a match at Gregory Gym Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2016. (Stephen Spillman / for American-Statesman)

One fun fact about the 2017 schedule involves defensive specialist Autumn Rounsaville, who averaged 1.48 digs per set as a freshman. Rounsaville won a state championship during her senior year of high school in 2015, and she will get to play three of her Dripping Springs classmates this fall.

Morgyn Greer, who was a two-time All-Central Texas Player of the Year, is an outside hitter at Florida. Madison Green is a setter on A&M-Corpus Christi’s roster, while Ashley Waggle is a middle blocker at Big 12 rival TCU.

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Social reaction: Longhorns, current and former, celebrate graduation day

May 20, 2017, 1:18 pm
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Over the weekend, a total of 80 current and former University of Texas athletes participated in graduation ceremonies. For some, it marked the end of a four-year journey of self discovery on and off the playing field.

For others, graduation meant returning to the campus they once wowed with athletic skill and bringing their UT experience full circle with a degree. Perhaps the most notable graduate was former men’s basketball star T.J. Ford, but scroll below and you’ll find social media reactions from a myriad of athletes.

RELATED: T.J. Ford, a famous Texas ex, now can call himself a Texas graduate

Men’s basketball

GALLERY: UT Athletic Department celebrates its graduates on May 19

Football

Women’s basketball

Track and field

This happened today #hookemhorns 🤘🏾🤘🏾

A post shared by Aldrich Bailey Jr (@the_human_ostrich) on May 19, 2017 at 5:33pm PDT

Volleyball

Baseball

Soccer

Swimming and Diving

Golf

Rowing

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Volleyball website ranks Texas’ Class of 2017 recruits as nation’s best

May 25, 2017, 6:26 pm
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This fall, Texas will return three All-Americans, a longtime libero and several other contributors to its volleyball court.

You can officially add the nation’s top recruiting class into the mix.

PrepVolleyball.com announced on Thursday that Texas had signed the top-ranked collection of recruits for the Class of 2017. In November, Texas signed outside hitter Lexi Sun, middle blocker Brionne Butler, setter Ashley Shook and libero Olivia Zelon. Butler and Zelon enrolled early and participated in spring drills as Texas.

Texas’ ascension to the top of PrepVolleyball.com’s list was merely a matter of math. Sun, who was named the Gatorade Player of the Year earlier this year, was the website’s top recruit. Butler and Shook were respectively ranked second and sixth.

This is the first time that Texas has topped the recruiting rankings since Khat Bell and Haley Eckerman signed with the Longhorns in 2011. Since 2003, Texas head coach Jerritt Elliott has signed the second-best class during five recruiting cycles.

The NCAA’s runner-up in 2016, Texas opens its 2017 volleyball season against Florida on Aug. 25.

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Texas volleyball standout Micaya White facing DWI charge

July 17, 2017, 2:06 pm
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Texas volleyball standout Micaya White has a pending drunken-driving case in Travis County state district court, court records show.

An arrest affidavit from March 18 said university police pulled over White at 2:05 a.m. in the 300 block of Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. for driving without her headlights on and following too closely.

White, 20, admitted to drinking two vodka shots and a Sprite at around 8 p.m, the affidavit said. Police reported that she failed a field sobriety test and smelled of alcohol.

A breathalyzer test was not given.

Police called an ambulance to the scene to treat White for what they described as a panic attack, according to the report. White was charged with driving while intoxicated and was released on $2,500 bail after staying overnight in jail.

She is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 4.

Coach Jerritt Elliott released a statement: “We and campus administration have been aware of the situation involving Micaya White since it occurred. It has been addressed and we are managing this internally. We support Micaya in working through this process.”

White, an outside hitter from Frisco, was a first-team All-American last year and was named the Big 12’s freshman of the year. She also was named to the NCAA all-tournament team and helped the Longhorns reach the national title match, where they fell to Stanford.

White’s attorney, Skip Davis, said she is an exemplary student who carries a 3.5 grade-point average.

“This entire ordeal has been heartbreaking for Micaya,” Davis said. “We will be working through the process so that Micaya can once against focus on her sport and her education.”

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Big 12’s preseason volleyball team features a Texas quartet

August 2, 2017, 10:15 am
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In local news that will shock nobody, some of the Big 12’s best volleyball players play at Texas.

On Wednesday, Texas sophomore Micaya White joined outside hitters Ebony Nwanebu and Chiaka Ogbogu on the Big 12’s preseason volleyball team. Lexi Sun also earned the preseason label of the Big 12’s top freshman. Nwanebu, Sun and White are outside hitters at UT while Ogbogu is a middle blocker.

Kansas senior Kelsie Payne, who is an Austin native, was the conference’s preseason player of the year.

The naming of Texas’ honorees was more of a formality than a surprise. Nwanebu, Ogbogu and White have all earned AVCA All-American accolades during their time in Austin. Sun was recently named the Gatorade National Volleyball Player of the Year during her senior year at Santa Fe Christian in Solana Beach, Calif.

Texas’ Chiaka Ogbogu spikes the ball against UCLA during a regional semifinal of the NCAA Volleyball Tournament on Dec. 11, 2015. RICARDO B. BRAZZIELL/AMERICAN-STATESMAN

White and Nwanebu led Texas this past season with their 4.03 and 3.74 kills per set, and Nwanebu’s .379 hitting percentage topped the Big 12. Ogbogu sat out the 2016 season for academic reasons, but the three-time All-American has averaged 2.3 kills and 1.2 blocks per set in her collegiate career.

In 2016, Texas went 27-5 and reached the NCAA championship game in its fifth straight trip to the Final Four. UT opens this season on Aug. 25 with a match at Florida.

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Texas volleyball tops Big 12 preseason poll

August 3, 2017, 2:26 pm
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The Texas volleyball team was picked by the Big 12 coaches as the preseason favorite to repeat as the league champions. The Big 12 Conference released its poll on Thursday with the Longhorns as the preseason favorite for the seventh straight season.

Texas (27-5 in 2016) received six first place votes while Kansas received three. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own team.

Baylor was picked to finished third ahead of Iowa State, Kansas State, West Virginia, TCU, Oklahoma and Texas Tech, respectively.

The Longhorns lost to Stanford in the 2016 national championship match and reached their fifth straight Final Four.

On Wednesday, Texas sophomore Micaya White joined outside hitters Ebony Nwanebu and Chiaka Ogbogu on the Big 12’s preseason volleyball team. Lexi Sun also earned the preseason label of the Big 12’s top freshman.

Kansas senior Kelsie Payne, who is an Austin native, was the conference’s preseason player of the year.

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Once again, Texas leads off Big 12’s preseason volleyball poll

August 3, 2017, 4:21 pm
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In the eyes of the Big 12, Texas will open this volleyball season in a familiar place.

The Big 12 announced on Thursday that Texas was the No. 1 team in its preseason volleyball poll. This marked the seventh straight season that UT has topped the conference’s preseason poll. Texas went onto win conference titles in five of the previous six years.

The Big 12’s preseason poll is voted on by the conference’s coaches. Texas received six of the nine first-place votes.

Kansas, which is the conference’s reigning champion, earned the poll’s second-place designation. Coaches are not allowed to vote for their own team, so Texas’ Jerritt Elliott gave the Jayhawks one of their three first-place votes.

Texas went 27-5 in 2016, and the Longhorns’ season ended with a loss to Stanford in the NCAA’s championship match. Despite the loss of setter Chloe Collins, UT retains a loaded roster. AVCA All-Americans Ebony Nwanebu, Chiaka Ogbogu and Micaya White were placed on the Big 12’s preseason volleyball team earlier this week, and Texas’ 2017 recruiting class was rated as the nation’s best. (Outside hitter Lexi Sun was also voted as the Big 12’s preseason freshman of the year).

Texas will travel to Florida on Aug. 25 for its first match of the season. UT opens Big 12 play at West Virginia on Sept. 23.

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Texas on top: Longhorns to open the volleyball season as nation’s No. 1 team

August 9, 2017, 2:07 pm
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A silver medalist in each of the past two seasons, Texas finds itself alone in front as it begins this fall’s search for gold.

On Wednesday, Texas was ranked first in the AVCA’s preseason volleyball poll. Texas received 25 of the poll’s 64 first-place votes, and the Longhorns’ 1547 points edged Stanford’s score of 1,533. Stanford, which beat Texas for last season’s NCAA championship, received 35 first-place votes.

Washington, Minnesota and Nebraska rounded out the polls’ top five.

2017 AVCA preseason poll

 TeamPoints (1st-place votes)2016 Final Rank
1Texas1,547 (25)2
2Stanford1,533 (35)1
3Washington1,370 (2)7
4Minnesota1,349 (2)3
5Nebraska1,3134
6Penn State1,24910
7Wisconsin1,1455
8Kansas1,08512
9Creighton1,0079
10BYU9758
11North Carolina93911
12Florida92515
13UCLA8666
14Kentucky65423
15Florida State64113
16Michigan61514
17Michigan State52319
18Oregon49821
19Missouri42416
20Hawai'i34317
21Ohio State33218
22San Diego28722
23Utah20325
24Arizona17420
25Purdue147N/R

This marks the 12th straight season that Texas has ranked among the top four teams in the AVCA preseason poll, and UT topped the 2013 preseason rankings. Texas retains much of the talent that led it to last year’s NCAA championship match, and the Longhorns just signed the nation’s top recruiting class. Three-time All-American Chiaka Ogbogu is back after missing the 2016 season, and outside hitters Micaya White and Ebony Nwanebu have also earned AVCA All-American accolades in their careers.

“On paper, we should win and be a real good team,” Nwanebu said earlier this week. “But you never know what’s going to happen. That’s another motivation, to prove to everyone on that on paper, we’re good, but in real life, we’re better.”

Texas opens its 2017 season on Aug. 25 with a trip to the Florida-hosted VERT Challenge where No. 12 Florida and No. 18 Oregon await. Minnesota, No. 8 Kansas and No. 22 San Diego are also on UT’s schedule.

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Chiaka Ogbogu returns as top-ranked Texas eyes elusive NCAA championship

August 10, 2017, 3:05 pm
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At the end of the collegiate volleyball season last December, Chiaka Ogbogu got on her phone.

Texas had just lost to Stanford in the NCAA championship match, a defeat that sent UT into a second straight off-season as the national runner-up. Watching the match — albeit miles and miles away from the court inside Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio — was Ogbogu, a three-time All-American sidelined by academic issues during what should have been her senior year.

After the loss, she texted some teammates and congratulated them on the season. She also made a proclamation.

“She was, like, whenever I get back, we are winning this upcoming year,” UT libero Cat McCoy said. “She just made it known that nothing was going to stop us.”

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Beginning Aug. 25, Ogbogu will return to the court with a chance to back up those words. Texas’ season opener comes a year after the surprising announcement that Ogbogu, a 6-foot-2 middle blocker, would miss the 2016 season.

In an interview with the American-Statesman this week, Ogbogu did not elaborate on her academic issues. Ogbogu was not enrolled in any classes last fall so she interned with a sports marketing company and volunteered with a physical therapist. She studied Texas’ matches on TV and kept in shape by following one of the team’s workout plans.

During her elongated off-season, Ogbogu did not consider giving up a sport she began playing in middle school.

“I came into this program wanting to win a national championship so I feel like if I would not have finished that, I would have regretted that for the rest of my life,” said Ogbogu, a two-time state champion at Coppell High. “I still wanted to come back and finish what I started.”

Texas’ Chiaka Ogbogu spikes the ball against Florida at Gregory Gym on Dec. 12, 2015. RICARDO B. BRAZZIELL/AMERICAN-STATESMAN

Ogbogu earned AVCA All-America honors in each of her first three years at Texas. A force on offense, Ogbogu averaged 2.25 kills per set with a .405 hitting percentage. Those three years, Ogbogu also ranked eighth, fifth and fourth in the Big 12 in blocks.

The return of Ogbogu allows Texas to shift its lineup. Middle blocker Morgan Johnson averaged 1.28 blocks per set while she moonlighted as a “M1” last season. Longhorn coach Jerritt Elliott, however, would prefer to use the DeSoto-raised junior as a M2.

“(Ogbogu will) be arguably one of top two, maybe three middle blockers in the country and can take over any kind of match,” Elliott said. “It also gives us a true M1.”

Ogbogu rejoined the Longhorns in January. In May, she played alongside Johnson and teammates Yaazie Bedart-Ghani and Micaya White with USA Volleyball’s collegiate national team that traveled to Thailand. Ogbogu did not appear in any of UT’s spring matches so her next game in a Longhorns uniform will come this month at No. 12 Florida.

A Final Four qualifier in each of the past five years, Texas opens this season as the top-ranked team in the AVCA poll. Ogbogu, White and senior Ebony Nwanebu have all earned All-America accolades in their careers, and Texas signed the nation’s top recruiting class. McCoy, who is within reach of Texas’ all-time digs record, will anchor the back row.

“Our coaches really stress how this team is the most talented and deepest team we’ve had in a while,” Ogbogu said. “It will just be exciting to see how it all comes together. It’s going to be crazy competitive, but in my opinion, that’s what makes practices more fun.”

Ogbogu said her teammates did “a really good job of not really being weird or judgmental,” and she quickly fit back in upon her return. In fact, she will serve as one of UT’s captains. Nwanebu, a longtime friend who lives with Ogbogu, described her roommate as a quick-witted master of the side-eye who brings a “calm urgency everywhere she goes.”

Off the court, Ogbogu enjoys traveling. She has recently journeyed to Italy, Paris, London and Turks and Caicos, and she ventured to Los Angeles to visit Nwanebu while her former club teammate was playing at USC. The daughter of Nigerian immigrants, Ogbogu has been to her parent’s homeland twice. With Texas’ volleyball team, Ogbogu has traveled to Final Fours in Seattle, Oklahoma City and Omaha, Neb., and she picked up a silver souvenir in 2015.

Ogbogu is looking to book one additional trip in December. This year’s Final Four will be held in Kansas City, Mo.

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Texas sports notebook: Longhorns aim to be the Golden State Warriors of volleyball

August 17, 2017, 2:34 pm
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Texas opens its volleyball season next week with matches against Florida and Oregon, the No. 12- and No. 18-ranked teams in the AVCA’s preseason poll.

First, though, the top-ranked Longhorns have to battle themselves.

On Saturday, Texas will host an intra-squad scrimmage at Gregory Gym. The scrimmage, which begins at 11 a.m., is open to the public and will give UT its first opportunity to showcase its loaded roster.

RELATED: Chiaka Ogbogu returns as top-ranked Texas eyes elusive NCAA championship

At Texas’ disposal this year are three AVCA All-Americans — middle blocker Chiaka Ogbogu and outside hitters Micaya White and Ebony Nwanebu. Juniors Morgan Johnson and Yaazie Bedart-Ghani have each earned some sort of Big 12 honors during their time at Texas, and senior libero Cat McCoy is on track to become UT’s career digs leader. Freshmen Lexi Sun, Brionne Butler and Ashley Shook were the first-, second- and sixth-rated recruits in the nation, and sophomores Autumn Rounsaville and Orie Agbaji closed out last season with solid performances in the NCAA championship match.

“I think we have similarities with the Golden State Warriors,” Texas coach Jerritt Elliott said last week. “A very deep bench, a lot of different people can get the ball and score for us.”

Texas Cat McCoy(8) celebrates a point against Texas Tech during a Big 12 Conference match at Gregory Gym Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2016. (Stephen Spillman / for American-Statesman)

Yes, the comparison to the Warriors are lofty. The Longhorns do, however, have ties to the NBA champions.

Elliott and Golden State head coach Steve Kerr both attended Palisades High School in the Los Angeles area. Elliott, 49, is two years younger than Kerr, but he considers him a family friend. There also is that NBA Finals MVP who attended Texas; Elliott is hoping that Kevin Durant can Skype in a pep talk this season.

Like a Golden State team that has reached three straight NBA Finals, Texas has made every Final Four since 2011. The Longhorns, however, have only one title to show for all those Final Fours. That came in 2012; Texas has been the NCAA’s runner-up in two straight seasons. This year, the Longhorns are hunting for gold.

“We’ve worked so hard for it, and I feel like this year we have all the pieces,” McCoy said. “I don’t want to look too far ahead and hype it up more than it needs to be, but obviously that is the main goal. It’s going to take a lot, the process will be very tiring.”

Scrimmage sensation: This weekend the soccer team hosts Rice and Western Kentucky, Texas’ first matches of the season. Last Friday UT tuned up for those matches with a 2-0 win over Incarnate Word. In the exhibition match, the Longhorns got goals from sophomore Cyera Hintzen and junior Katie Glenn.

Glenn is a few months removed from scoring a team-high six goals during UT’s spring scrimmages, and four of those scores were tallied against Houston. Glenn attended nearby Rouse High; she was the American-Statesman’s 2014 Central Texas player of the year after scoring 43 goals her senior season. She was fourth on the team in scoring last year as a sophomore.

As a junior, Glenn is among the elder statesmen on a roster that features only three seniors. Texas, which went 8-9-1 last year and missed the Big 12’s postseason tournament, is ranked eighth in the Big 12’s preseason poll. Texas returners scored 24 of last year’s 28 goals, and sophomore forward Mikayla Flores is back from a knee injury.

“We’re just ready to get out there and show everybody how Texas Soccer really plays,” said Hintzen, who was voted onto the conference’s preseason team. “Considering last year didn’t go the way we wanted, so we’re really hungry and ready.”

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Texas volleyball team preps for season with Orange-White scrimmage

August 19, 2017, 7:08 pm
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The White team defeated the Orange team 4-0 (28-26, 25-16, 25-23, 15-7) in the Orange and White Texas volleyball scrimmage at Gregory Gym Saturday.

The current Texas volleyball roster made up the White team while a mix of alumni and Texas volunteer assistant coaches made up the Orange team.

Three Longhorns had double-digit kills in the match, led by Lexi Sun who had 22 to go with 12 digs.

Micaya White had 11 kills and Ashley Shook led the team in assists with 45. Cat McCoy had 23 digs to lead the team.

“It’s the first match and everyone’s playing next to each other trying to get the nerves out,” head coach Jerritt Elliott said in a UT press release. “We’ll go back and watch it and learn how we did and go get ready for Florida.”

RELATED: Longhorns look to be Golden State Warriors of college volleyball.

Texas opens the season on the road to face Florida in Gainesville on Friday Aug. 25. They’ll take on Oregon the next day in Gainesville as a part of the VERT Challenge.

Texas fans can catch the season opener with Florida on SEC Network and the match against Oregon on Longhorn Network.

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What eclipse? Sun shining at Texas as volleyball season approaches

August 21, 2017, 11:21 am
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As memes and comments related to the total solar eclipse were circulated on Twitter on Monday, the UT volleyball team also got in on the fun.

Considering the day’s news, Texas reminded fans that it has a player with a relevant name on its roster. Lexi Sun is a freshman outside hitter from Solana Beach, Calif.

Sun will make her collegiate debut on Friday when Texas visits Florida.

UT fans are hoping that Sun becomes a star at Texas. During her senior year of high school, Sun was regarded as the nation’s top-rated recruit. She also earned the Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year award in January.

Sun shined during Texas’ scrimmage this past weekend. Sun recorded a match-high 22 kills in the four-set scrimmage, and she also recorded a .318 hitting percentage and 12 digs.

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Nwanebu and Bedart-Ghani jockeying for playing time as No. 1 Texas opens volleyball season

August 23, 2017, 3:23 pm
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Texas volleyball coach Jerritt Elliott has one decision to make.

UT opens its 2017 season on Friday with a road match against Florida, the No. 12 team in the AVCA’s preseason poll. The Longhorns, who top that preseason poll, will stay overnight in Gainesville for a Saturday showdown with No. 18 Oregon. The two matches are a part of the annual VERT Challenge, which will also feature Nebraska.

The NCAA runner-up in each of the last two seasons, Texas has retained a loaded line-up for this year’s run at a national title. Juggling all that talent doesn’t seem to be keeping Elliott up at night, though, and he told reporters on Tuesday that his line-up is mostly set. That means that outside hitters Micaya White and Lexi Sun, middle blockers Chiaka Ogbogu and Morgan Johnson, setter Ashley Shook and libero Cat McCoy will likely be introduced as starters on Friday. (Elliott has declined to comment on whether White, who was arrested on the suspicion of DWI during the off-season, will play this weekend).

One spot in the starting line-up, however, has not been claimed. Elliott said that outside hitters Ebony Nwanebu and Yaazie Bedart-Ghani are battling for a spot on the pin.

“Those two are All-Americans competing for one spot,” Elliott said. “It’s unfortunate, but they’re doing a good job of pumping each other up and being a part of this. We’re going to give both of them some looks to kind of see how they do in matches.”

Texas outside hitter Ebony Nwanebu (2) gathers with her teammates during an intrasquad scrimmage at Gregory Gym on Aug. 19, 2017. (Stephen Spillman / for American-Statesman)

The 6-4 Nwanebu enters her senior year as a two-time AVCA All-American, and she led the Big 12 last year with her .379 hitting percentage. Bedart-Ghani, a junior who is the same height as Nwanebu, was used in the middle last season, but she made the NCAA’s all-tournament team as an outside hitter in 2015. Bedart-Ghani is a few months removed from being named the Muscle Milk Female Athlete of the Year, an award that honors athletes “whose athletic accomplishments reflect dedication to sports nutrition.”

In Texas’ intrasquad scrimmage this past weekend, Nwanebu started for a White team that was made up of UT’s expected starters. Bedart-Ghani began the scrimmage on the Orange team, but she swapped places with Nwanebu for the second and third sets. Both players finished out the four-set scrimmage on the White team.

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Texas volleyball team upset at VERT Challenge

August 25, 2017, 7:37 pm
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The No. 12 Florida Gators upset the top-ranked Texas volleyball team 3-1 (25-16, 25-23, 18-25, 25-21) to open the season at the VERT Challenge in Gainesville, Fla. Friday.

The Longhorns went down by two sets before fighting back to win the third. Florida regained control, however, closing out the match with a 25-21 win in the fourth set.

The Gators (1-0) had four players with at least nine kills, led by Carli Snyder with 14. She also had 20 digs. Rachael Kramer added 11 kills in the win.

Lexi Sun, a freshman, led the Longhorns with 11 kills, though she committed nine errors to hit just .036. She had 10 digs in the match.

Ebony Nwanebu had nine kills with a .500 kill percentage and six blocks. Senior Chiaka Ogbogu had eight kills and six blocks for Texas.

Freshman Ashley Shook led the Longhorns in assists with 33.

Sun had a kill in the first set to pull the Longhorns to within a point at 15-14. The Gators closed out the set on a 10-2 run, however.

Another kill by the freshman in the second set, tied the game at 22-all, but the Gators ended the set on a 3-1 run.

The Longhorns will try to get back on the winning track at the VERT Challenge as they face No. 18 Oregon Saturday.

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