It wasn’t long ago that confetti fell on Texas volleyball, a symbol of their dominance over the nation. Now, that magic must be reignited.
A major loss came with the departure of Erik Sullivan, who recently completed his 14th season as Texas volleyball’s associate head coach. USA Volleyball announced a week ago that Sullivan would be joining the U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Team as its new head coach.
Over his tenure at Texas, Sullivan helped lead the team to 12 conference championships, eight NCAA Final Four appearances and three national titles.
The Longhorns, who won NCAA titles in 2022 and 2023, saw their season come to an end in the 2024 NCAA tournament with a 3–1 loss to Creighton in the Sweet 16. It marked the first time in five years that Texas failed to reach the regional final, finishing with a 20–7 record.
Senior outside hitter Madisen Skinner, a key contributor to Texas’ reign, finished her career at Texas with 1,300 kills, 75 service aces, 465 digs and 173 blocks over three seasons. Skinner moved on to League One Volleyball Austin for the team’s debut season.
The Longhorns also lost outside hitters Reagan Rutherford and Jenna Wenaas to graduation, along with junior setter Averi Carlson, redshirt freshman opposite hitter Auburn Tomkinson and redshirt freshman outside hitter Jordyn Byrd, who entered the transfer portal.
With so many key players lost, Texas looked to the transfer portal to help fill in the gaps. Sophomore libero Ramsey Gary, who is transferring from Indiana, and sophomore outside hitter Torrey Stafford from Pittsburgh join the program with two years of eligibility remaining.
Gary, a two-time Second Team All-Big Ten selection, led Indiana with 438 digs and 101 assists in 2024. Meanwhile, Stafford helped Pittsburgh reach the NCAA Final Four in her first two seasons, earning First Team All-ACC and All-American honors with 4.24 points per set, 3.70 kills per set, and a .358 hitting percentage.
To aid the departures of Skinner, Rutherford and Wenaas, Texas signed the nation’s top-rated outside hitter recruits with Macaria Spears coming from Dallas and Abby Vander Wal moving from Illinois.
Sophomore setter Ella Swindle, who helped Texas win a national title as a freshman, is expected to step into a starting role following Carlson’s departure. Freshman Rella Binney and incoming freshman Callie Krueger will also join the setter pool.
Texas volleyball’s strength next season will come from two standout middle blockers, redshirt freshman Marianna Singletary and true freshman Ayden Ames, both earning SEC honors. Singletary led the team with 134 blocks, while Ames added 88. They’ll be joined by 6-foot-3-inch Utah recruit Taylor Harvey, further strengthening the team’s front line.