Horns on verge of capturing third crown
Strong play at the net powers run, sweep over top-seeded Wisconsin
AUSTIN — Jerritt Elliott has reached the summit of this mountain before, so he understands the perils of the climb.
Elliott coached Texas to a national title in 2012, his 11th year on the job. It was a methodical ascent with some stumbles — regional final flameouts in 2006 and 2007, three Final Four berths but no NCAA trophies — that restored the Longhorns to national prominence.
Nine years after capturing the program’s second NCAA national title in Louisville, Ky., Texas is nearing the peak again. After sweeping formerly undefeated top seed Wisconsin on Thursday night in the Final Four, fourth-seeded Texas (27-1) will face second-seeded Kentucky (23-1) in the national championship match Saturday night at CHI Health Center in Omaha, Neb.
“To be in the finals is always a rewarding place to be,” Elliott said Friday during a Zoom press conference. “You’re one step away from being at the top of the mountain. We have a lot of work to do with a great team, well-coached, in Craig Skinner. We’re spending lot of time watching film right now and getting our team ready.”
Neither Texas nor Kentucky had to grapple with much adversity on the path to Saturday’s national title match.
The Longhorns have lost just two sets in Omaha; the Wildcats dropped one, a 2523 second-set loss to Washington in Thursday’s Final Four meeting. And both programs are as star-studded as they get.
Led by senior setter Madison Lilley, the American Volleyball Coaches’ Association (AVCA) national player of the year, Kentucky is flush with talent at every position. In addition to Lilley and AVCA coach of the year Skinner, Kentucky produced five additional AllAmericans and one honorable mention.
The Wildcats lead the nation in hitting percentage (.361), kills per set (15.2) and assists per set (14). They also limited opponents to a .148 hitting percentage, a top 30 mark.
“I think this is a team that has a lot of heart, just like how we have a lot of heart,” Texas sophomore Molly Phillips said. “I think that’s helped us a lot in the last couple games, just how we fight for the player next to us. And I think that Kentucky does a really good job of doing that as well. So along with their physicality, they also really are fighting for the same goal that we are. So I think that’s something that we really just need to step up on our side and have more of.”
Texas isn’t slouching in the talent department, though.
Junior outside hitter and Big 12 player of the year Logan Eggleston has wreaked havoc in Omaha, totaling 68 kills and seven service aces. Eggleston’s star paired with the stellar play of Ridge Point alumna Skylar Fields, Asjia O’Neal, Brionne Butler and Phillips has allowed Texas to dictate net play — those four combined for 38 kills and seven total blocks in the Wisconsin sweep.
And junior setter Jhenna Gabriel has been on-point, spraying pristine sets around the court for her teammates to pummel. The Big 12 setter of the year has averaged 44.3 assists per match in Omaha, trailing only Lilley (45.8).
“Our team is playing really well with her,” Elliott said of Gabriel. “She’s a junior now, so she’s starting to understand the offense, she’s starting to see the game differently. She’s understanding how to use the matchups and what teams have to do to kind of counteract our balance and is making good choices, a lot of good choices, consistently. A year ago, I would probably take 20 to 30 choices away from her, and now it’s all on one hand in a match.”
Elliott never expected to wait five years to return to the national title game. The Longhorns finished as runner-up in 2015 and 2016, and with the yearly influx of talent, the belief was there would soon be another national trophy encased somewhere within the Forty Acres.
“When you come to Texas, I think everybody knows in our circle that our goal is to win a national championship year in and year out,” Elliott said. “So we talk about it, but we’re way more process-oriented. It’s about putting building blocks. The talking stuff can get to pretty stressful and all those other things.
He added: “They know what they want. They want to go after it and hopefully they’ll be ready.”