Earning a starting position on a highly ranked Division I college volleyball team as a true freshman is no small accomplishment, and neither is helping that team achieve a national title the same year.
However, Texas junior setter Ella Swindle reveals losing that spot the following year was even harder.
After claiming the national title in 2023, the Longhorns brought former Baylor Bears setter Averi Carlson on board for 2024. She claimed Swindle’s starting position that year, forcing Swindle to adjust to a new role within the team.
“It was definitely some adversity that I was not expecting to face, and it tested me in a lot of ways,” Swindle said. “What happened last year, a lot of it was behind the scenes, and the pain that you feel as a (student) athlete, no one really sees (it) except for you.”
That pain also stemmed from outside pressure she endured, as people on social media urged her to leave Texas and find a different program to play for the remainder of her collegiate career.
“I always wanted it to be Texas,” Swindle said. “It’s hard when you’re here, though, because social media is such a big thing, and there are a lot of people who put this pressure on me to leave. And so I wouldn’t say that any of it was me wanting to leave Texas. It was just the world kind of telling me what I should do with my life based on what they thought they were seeing.”
That being said, she ultimately chose to remain loyal to the roots she planted on the Forty Acres. When Carlson decided to transfer once more to SMU for her senior season, Swindle earned back the starting spot she possessed in 2023 and has not looked back.
In the eyes of head coach Jerritt Elliott, the adversity Swindle faced last year has helped mold her into a stronger leader for this team.
“She’s learned a lot about herself,” Elliott said. “I think she’s a better leader because of it. I think she trusts herself a little bit more, and she’s more excited to play than ever.”
Texas’ 2025 roster includes several prominent freshmen, such as outside hitters Cari Spears and Abby Vander Wal, as well as multiple key transfer players, like junior outside hitter Torrey Stafford and junior libero Ramsey Gary. Swindle’s time with this program exceeds that of many of her teammates, and her decision to stay has given her the advantage of experience when it comes to playing for Texas.
“In today’s day and age, kids want to just pack up and leave when there’s a little bit of tough stuff,” Elliott said. “(Swindle’s) done a phenomenal job of just being a Longhorn, representing us and working (her) way through.”
The Longhorns have accumulated a record of 5–0 so far this season, with four of those wins coming against top 20-ranked opponents. Swindle has recorded 156 assists and seven kills throughout these five matchups, and she looks to play her brand of volleyball to the best of her ability as this season progresses.
“I spent a lot of last year trying to be someone that I wasn’t and just trying to fit a role that I thought I needed to be, instead of just being the person that they brought into Texas,” Swindle said. “I’ve shown that I can lead this team to a national championship before, and so I’m just trying to get myself back in that spot, where I can just play freely and play Ella Swindle volleyball.”
