Back in the state where she grew up, senior setter Ella Swindle took the court in front of family and friends Friday night to lead Texas volleyball to a fourth consecutive Southeastern Conference sweep.
“It makes me emotional; this is where I grew up, this is where I fell in love with the sport in this exact gym, and to do it my senior year … I’m feeling all of it right now,” Swindle said after the game. “My family’s all here, and my hometown. … It really means the world to me, especially… It’s been a long journey, so this moment’s really special.”
Before the matchup, the team shared a dinner at the Swindle’s family home in Columbia, Missouri.
“Being able to have everyone in my house is really cool,” Swindle said. “So getting them all together is just the coolest thing.”
Swindle saw the court for the first time since Oct. 4, in Friday’s sweep against the Missouri Tigers at Hearnes Center in Columbia. It was the Longhorns’ first time back in Missouri in 15 years.
The Longhorns have been running a 6-2 system with freshman setter Genevieve Harris, junior setter Rella Binney and sophomore hitters Cari Spears and Addy Gaido since Oct. 16 against the Auburn Tigers.
Since introducing this system, Texas has found success, earning five sweeps and one loss in a tight five-set match. In the opening set, Harris subbed in alongside Gaido but struggled to connect with her hitters.
Missouri is a strong defensive team in the front row and back row. The team is currently ranked above the Longhorns in the SEC for blocking, and senior libero Anioah Cruz ranks second in the SEC in digs per set with 4.49.
When Swindle subbed in, she immediately connected with the offense, putting pressure on the Tigers. She helped the Longhorns come back from a six-point deficit to secure a momentous first-set win, 27-25, against the Tigers’ defense.
From there on, Texas continued to lead Missouri by playing great defense, creating more opportunities to build on the connection between Swindle and her hitters. The team garnered 49 kills and 56 digs. Swindle recorded 13 assists and her 500th career dig.
Freshman hitter Henley Anderson also had a strong performance, improving each match as she became more comfortable in her role and learned the pace of college volleyball. Friday night, she recorded 10 kills and hit .059.
“It was a lot of pressure, I mean, it still is …as I’ve played more games, I’ve started to get more comfortable and realize that now I’m having to do this,” Anderson said. “I’ve stepped into it. … I think just continuing to get better for my team has been super fun.”
The Longhorns are now in the final stretch of conference play and have shown in recent matchups promise of a high finish in the SEC Tournament. With three setters who can lead the team to a win, it will be interesting to see how head coach Jerritt Elliott continues to use them.
Texas will continue on the road and face the Vanderbilt Commodores next at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville, Tennessee, on Sunday at 1 p.m. for the third-to-last game of conference play.
