Texas mission completed, Gucci’s Adidas jacket, Logan’s legacy, The Ohio State issue

To get to the tip, return to the start.

“Our workforce is the deepest I’ve ever had as a coach, it’s probably the most expertise I’ve ever had,” Texas coach Jerritt Elliott stated final August, three weeks earlier than the NCAA season started.

He added, “We all know now we have the expertise. We’ve received 4 months to mesh them as a result of they’ve by no means performed collectively. They don’t know methods to play collectively but. They don’t know what their buttons are when the strain is on. They’re going to need to be taught all that stuff. That’s going to be the important thing for us.”

Mission completed.

Texas accomplished an almost excellent season Saturday evening with its sweep of Louisville within the NCAA championship match. The one stumble in a 28-1 12 months was on October 23 at Iowa State, a match during which the Longhorns dropped two units by 27-25 scores and misplaced regardless of hitting .359 and getting 13 blocks.

It occurs.

However that 18-25, 27-25, 12-25, 27-25, 15-10 defeat wasn’t essentially a foul factor, celebrity Logan Eggleston provided Saturday evening. She was requested if possibly it truly helped the Longhorns.

“one hundred pc. I don’t suppose it’s ever good to go undefeated in a season since you don’t know methods to battle via adversity,” Eggleston stated. “I feel we discovered loads about ourselves as gamers and as a workforce and thru that recreation and what we might do higher.”

The final time a workforce went unbeaten in NCAA Division I volleyball was in 2009 when Penn State went 38-0 in each 2008 and 2009. Texas is the third one-loss workforce to win since.

“I feel if we hadn’t have misplaced that recreation, I don’t know that a few of the conversations we had and a few of the areas that we improved on would have occurred,” Eggleston stated.

“So I’m actually actually grateful that we hit that sort of roadblock in the course of the season as a result of it made us so a lot better all through the tip.”

The bigs, in fact, received theirs for Texas within the 25-22, 25-14, 26-24 victory over Louisville, which, it might’t be overstated, was a implausible school volleyball workforce. Eggleston had 19 kills, Madisen Skinner — who gained the NCAA title for Kentucky when it beat Texas within the spring 2021 remaining –12, Asjia O’Neal 9 and Molly Phillips six. Between them simply eight errors in 98 assaults.

However the littles?

They have been implausible. Zoe Fleck transferred from UCLA for simply this and on the most important stage the 5-foot-6 libero with the wild hair and no regard for her physique had 14 digs, 5 assists and two aces. Freshman Emma Halter performed like something however because the 5-5 DS had 5 digs and 11 serve-receive makes an attempt with no errors. 

“Emma, she doesn’t know,” Elliott stated. “She’s a freshman. She’s simply nails.”

And when it got here right down to the final play, so was Keonilei Akana, who rocketed a walk-off ace. 

The 5-9 Akana only a 12 months earlier performed for Nebraska for the nationwide championship when the Huskers misplaced in 5 to Wisconsin and he or she had an ace and 24 digs. In 2021 she led Nebraska with 42 aces, a whopping seven when the Huskers ousted Texas from the NCAA Match.

She completed this season with 34 aces, second solely to Eggleston, and, in fact, none greater than that final one.

Elliott claimed he known as it.

“I stated she has ice in her veins and he or she’s going to get an ace. That’s particularly what I stated. I’ll have thrown another phrase in there. 

“However she’s simply been nails on a regular basis. She’s powerful as nails. So she hit that serve. To serve that ball on this magnitude of a stage, hit it the way in which she did, she hit it clear, which is what we at all times discuss, no spin and a ton of velocity, lots of strain.

“That’s what so nice about this workforce. Different individuals can carry one another and make factors and make runs.”

This Texas workforce was a delight. From this finish, fabulous, clever and articulate youngsters to interview. Gamers like Eggleston and O’Neal, who made an influence off the court docket. Individuals like Fleck, who at apply Wednesday veered off the court docket to shake arms and see how issues have been going. Clearly nice volleyball gamers.

And a coach who has taken a lot criticism for not successful all of it for a decade with workforce after workforce bursting with a lot expertise. 

As an apart, you wish to know even another reason why our sport is healthier than theirs?

About an hour and a half earlier than Saturday’s match — Saturday’s national-championship match! —  I sat down early on press row to do some story prep. Elliott noticed me, walked throughout the ground, pulled up a chair, and we shot the bull for some time. His spouse, Andrea, joined us. Maintain your breath ready for that to occur in soccer or basketball.

Anyway, this was our change within the post-match information convention Saturday evening.

“Jerritt, we’ve talked about this during the last decade, and I’ve teased you as a result of whenever you gained 10 years in the past you sat up there and also you regarded like dying, such as you simply completed a marathon. Tonight, comparatively talking, you look fairly relaxed and fairly good. How do you are feeling personally?”

“Yeah, I’m relieved. I’m so grateful. I’m honored to be the one which received to educate with these ladies. I’m honored to be the one who leads this program. I’m honored that Chris Plonsky, who’s sitting within the again, employed me and believed in me after I was moist behind the years at 32 years outdated or 31. 

“I don’t suppose individuals perceive how onerous it’s to get to a nationwide championship. You mainly spend each dwelling second enthusiastic about what your program wants, the changes, the work of touring and recruiting, the administration of not solely your workforce and your workers however the 80 individuals beneath that for the purpose of successful a championship for the college. My purpose coming in was to make this model higher and to herald empowered ladies and get them higher.

“I feel, to your query, we do lots of speaking with our gamers. And we educate them methods to talk, inform them they will come into our room and be mad at me, be upset at me, however most significantly, there’s lots of good individuals surrounding them.

“Everyone that I rent are nice those that love individuals. I feel that’s a very large factor. However for me, that is simply — I’m ecstatic inside. I’m nonetheless numb, I can’t imagine we truly did it as a result of we’ve been pushing for thus a few years. I believed that we have been going to do it at present. However I’m simply so completely satisfied for our gamers and our workers.”

What he stated.

GUCCI, ADIDAS AND BUSBOOM KELLY: It’s mistaken, particularly when there’s a double commonplace, of paying attention to what ladies coaches put on. However on this case, it merely needed to be requested, as a result of Louisville’s Dani Busboom Kelly was carrying an Adidas jacket specifically made for her by Gucci.

Speak about stylin.’

“It goes again to final 12 months with Anna Stevenson being obsessive about what I’m carrying for no matter motive,” Busboom Kelly stated. “It’s sort of been a factor. 

“Adidas got here right here and shocked me with this jacket.”

She stated they gave it to her on Thursday, hoping Louisville would win and he or she might put on it within the championship match.

“So right here I’m.

“It’s just a little tight. Not tremendous comfy, however I used to be fairly shocked. It was fairly cool.”

THE OHIO STATE FACTOR: It was uncanny how there have been six levels of Buckeye separation within the NCAA final-four weekend.

Texas opened the season with back-to-back wins at Ohio State, sweeping the Buckeyes on August 26 earlier than successful in 4 the following day. Just a few days earlier than that, I solely semi-jokingly texted Ohio State coach Jen Flynn Oldenburg that Texas and Ohio State would play for the nationwide title in December.

On September 3, Louisville dealt San Diego its solely defeat till the Toreros misplaced to Texas on Thursday within the nationwide semifinals. The following day, Ohio State gained in 4 at Louisville. Louisville solely misplaced twice extra, at Pittsburgh after which to Texas on Saturday. 

After which the Saturday earlier than final, within the regional remaining in Austin, Texas beat Ohio State. Was it for the nationwide title? Ohio State might make that declare. Why not?

That, nonetheless, was a volleyball lifetime in the past for Ohio State. Since then, the school world was surprised with the information that 4 of its starters, setter Mac Podraza, libero Kylie Murr, outdoors Gabby Gonzalez and outdoors Jenaisya Moore have entered the NCAA switch portal. All 4 have been seniors this 12 months who’ve performed 4 seasons and, due to COVID, have a 12 months remaining.

Podraza advised me it’s strictly a scholarship availability challenge and that the nationwide narrative rubs her the mistaken means. Accordingly, she and Flynn Oldenburg will be part of me for a Zoom on Monday to deal with the problem.

LOGAN’S LEGACY: The final phrase goes to Elliott.

“To change into one of many greats in any sport you’ve received to win a championship. And Logan did that now. So she places herself on an especially elite degree together with the remainder of the gamers.

“However for what she’s finished for this college, what she’s finished to benefit from each useful resource doable, what she’s given in each facet, I wouldn’t be shocked if now we have a statue sooner or later for her someplace on campus.”

Eggleston was the VolleyballMag.com nationwide participant of the 12 months in 2021. There’s probability she is going to repeat when our All-American groups are introduced later within the week. She was named the AVCA nationwide participant of the 12 months on Friday.