TEXAS VOLLEYBALL Spring 2015 Three-time National Champions (1981, 1988, 2012) 31 NCAA Appearances ~ 27 NCAA Regional Appearances ~ 10 NCAA Semifinal Appearances Texas Media Relations Director: Susie Epp Office: (512) 232-1532 Cell: (520) 668-5104 [email protected] TexasSports.com 2015 Spring Texas vs. SMU Schedule/Results 2015 Spring Season • Friday, April 3 3/19/15 at Hawaii Honolulu, Hawaii L, 3-1 Gregory Gymnasium • Austin, Texas 4/3/15 SMU Austin, Texas 6 p.m. 4/11/15 F.A.S.T. Tourn. Houston, Texas All Day Match 2: Texas vs. SMU 4/18/15 Collegiate Show. Dallas, Texas All Day All-time series vs. SMU: Longhorns lead, 3-1 (H: 2-0, A: 1-1) 4/24/15 UTSA Austin, Texas 7:30 p.m. Last meeting: Sept. 17, 2011; Texas won 3-0 Television: Longhorn Network; Tyler Denning on Play-by-Play and Jenny Hazelwood as the analyst Texas by the Numbers Live Stats: TBA National Championships _________________3 NCAA Semifinal Appearances ____________10 NCAA Tournament Appearances _________31 Quick Hits Conference Championships (Big 12: 8) _____21 • Texas is coming off its 10th appearance in the NCAA Semifinals in December, where the 25+ Win Seasons ______________________23 Longhorns fell to BYU, 3-1. It marked Texas’ third-straight Final Four appearance and sixth in All-Americans ________________________39 the last seven years. Conference Player of the Year Awards _____19 All-Conference Selections ______________100 • The Longhorns kicked off their spring season in Hawaii last month, falling to the Rainbow Wahine, 3-1. Junior Amy Neal and sophomore Paulina Prieto Cerame led Texas with 12 kills. QUICK FACTS Neal also added 10 digs, while junior Kat Brooks led with 23. Junior Molly McCage, sopho- Season of Volleyball ....................................... 40th more Chiaka Ogbogu and freshman Mirta Baselovic all finished with eight blocks each, while All-time Record (pct.) ....... 1132-366-13 (.756) sophomore Chloe Collins had 34 assists as the team’s lone setter. All-time Big 12 Record (pct.) .......295-73 (.802) NCAA Tournament Appearances ...................31 All-Time NCAA Tournament Record ...78-28 (.736) 2015 Texas Longhorns Spring Roster NCAA National Championships ...2 (1988, 2012) AIAW National Championships ...........1 (1981) # NAME Pos. Ht. Yr.-Exp. Hometown (Last School) NCAA Semifinal Appearances ........................... 9 2 Tiffany Baker OH 6-3 Jr.-1L Carollton, Texas (Tennessee) 5 Molly McCage MB 6-3 Jr.-2L Spring, Texas (Klein Collins HS) (1986, 1987, 1988, 1995, 2008, 2009, 2010, 6 Kat Brooks L 5-4 Jr.-2L Honolulu, Hawai’i (Punahou HS) 2012, 2013) 7 Nicole Dalton OH/S 6-2 So.-1L Parker, Colo. (Chaparral HS) 8 Cat McCoy L 5-7 Fr. - HS Southlake, Texas (Southlake Carroll) 9 Amy Neal L/OH 5-10 Jr.-2L Austin, Texas (Lake Travis HS) 2013 Record.......................................................27-3 11 Chiaka Ogbogu MB 6-1 So.-1L Coppell, Texas (Coppell HS) 2013 Big 12 Record (Conf. Finish) ....16-0 (1st) 14 Kate Palladino DS 5-4 Fr.-HS Pflugerville, Texas (Pflugerville HS) Final AVCA Ranking ...................................... No. 3 17 Mirta Baselovic MB 6-3 Fr.-HS Split, Croatia 19 Paulina Prieto Cerame OH 6-2 So.-TR San Juan, Puerto Rico Final Volleyball Magazine Ranking.......... No. 3 (Palmer Trinity School/Penn State) Starters Returning/Lost ................... 5/1+Libero 21 Chloe Collins S 5-7 So.-1L Cypress, Texas (Cypress Woods) Letterwinners Returning/Lost.......................9/4 Head Coach: Jerritt Elliott (Cal State Northridge ‘91), 14th year Newcomers ..............................................................4 Associate Head Coach: Tonya Johnson (LSU ‘93), seventh year Assistant Coach: Erik Sullivan (UCLA ‘95), fourth year Volunteer Assistant Coach: Evan Sanders (Washington ‘12) OFFSEASON NEWS Practicing in Style In April, Texas Volleyball opened a brand new practice facility located in the North End Zone of the stadium. The facility includes: -two practice courts that are exact replicas of the court in Gregory Gym -player locker rooms/showers -players’ lounge -TVs, couches, kitchen, study area -coaches lounge -TVs, couches, kitchen, meeting area -coaches locker rooms Hawaii trip Texas opened its spring season in Honolulu, Hawaii and spent a week there practicing, training and enjoy- ing the beach and the city. Players, coaches and support staff spent time snorkeling at Hanauma Bay, enjoying different beaches, touring Pearl Harbor, canoeing at Outrigger and taking advantage of the Hawaiian cuisine and scenery. For Kat Brooks, it was a homecoming, as the junior grew up in Honolulu. Texas hires new volunteer assistant after seven years The Longhorns hired Evan Sanders, a former setter for Washington (2011) and Colorado State (2008-10). She joins the program after playing professional volleyball around the world in France, Greece and in the Professional Volleyball League for the Florida Wave. Former Volunteer Assistant Brian Wright took a job at TCU as an Assistant Coach. He worked as a Volunteer Assistant at Texas for seven years. Bell selected to 2015 World University Games roster Senior Khat Bell was one of 12 players from around the country selected to play in the 2015 World Univer- sity Games from July 2-12 in Gwangju, South Korea. Eckerman in Ponce, Puerto Rico Senior Haley Eckerman is already making her mark in the professional ranks after she played with GS Caltex KIXX in South Korea and is now playing in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Hattis commits to basketball Junior Sara Hattis made the decision to stick with the Texas Women’s Basketball program, where she will have two remaining years of eligibility. Baker to take medical redshirt in 2015 Junior Tiffany Baker will not play in her senior season for Texas due to ongoing injuries. Dalton out in spring Sophomore Nicole Dalton will take the spring season to rehab. She is expected to be healthy and playing in the fall. McCoy day-to-day Freshman Cat McCoy re-aggravated a foot injury at USA Volleyball tryouts. She is day-to-day and did not compete in Hawaii. RETURNING TALENT Texas lost two great players in Haley Eckerman and Khat Bell, but the Longhorns will return a great deal of the team’s strength in 2015. Hitters Blockers -The Longhorns will return four of the six top -Texas will return 72 percent of its blocking leaders in kills from 2014: numbers from 2014: Eckerman 327 McCage 145 Bell 239 Ogbogu 136 Ogbogu 213 P. Cerame 78 Neal 204 Neal 30 P. Cerame 166 McCage 158 -Of the four, Ogbogu and McCage led Texas in Returning All-Americans hitting percentage: Ogbogu - First Team McCage - Third Team Ogbogu .420 Neal - Honorable Mention McCage .337 Bell .287 Returning All-Region Team honorees Eckerman .258 McCage - First Team P. Cerame .253 Ogbogu - First Team Neal .223 Neal - Honorable Mention Returning Big-12 Team honorees Digs Jerritt Elliott - Coach of the Year -The Longhorns will return its top four leaders in Ogbogu - First Team digs from 2014: Neal - Honorable Mention McCoy - All-Freshman Team McCoy 394 Neal 263 Dalton 184 Collins 166 Assists -Texas will also return its two setters and top assist leaders from 2014: Collins 622 Dalton 541 INCOMING TALENT Texas will welcome three freshmen for the fall season for a potential top-5 class. Micaya White, 6-1, Frisco, Texas - Centennial High School -fourth-ranked player on the Prep Volleyball 2015 Senior Aces list -Under Armour High School All-American -Club Volleyball All-American -Prep Volleyball Junior Top 35 Finalist -one of Volleyball Magazine’s 30 Underclassmen to watch. -named Most Valuable Player on the All-Tournament team for the Girls Junior National Championship in 2014, leading Texas Advantage Volleyball to the GJNC championship and Team of the Year honors Centennial High School -USA Today’s American Family Insurance ALL-USA Preseason High School Volleyball second-team -All-Texas First-Team -The Varsitys Best Female Athlete award in her senior season -three-time All-District First-Team recipient -two-time All-State and was named to the All-Area First Team in her junior year -Player of the Week on numerous occasions by Texas Top 20 and MaxPreps. Yaazie Bedart Ghani, 6-4, Los Angeles, Calif. - Redondo Union High School -fifth-ranked player on the Prep Volleyball 2015 Senior Aces list -Under Armour High School All-American -one of Volleyball Magazine’s 30 Underclassmen to watch -2012 Junior National All-Tournament Team for Long Beach Mizuno. Redondo Union High School -First-Team All Bay League in 2013 -led Redondo Union High School to a State Championship in 2012 and State Championship Runner up in 2011 -California Interscholastic Federation Champion and a Division 1 AA Regional Champion in 2011 and 2012. Morgan Johnson, 6-2.5, DeSoto, Texas - DeSoto High School -11th-ranked player on the Prep Volleyball 2015 Senior Aces list -Under Armour High School All-American -Prep Volleyball First-Team All-American -USA Volleyball First-Team All-American -one of Volleyball Magazine’s 30 Underclassmen to watch. -played with White with TAV, earning the 2014 Triple Crown U-17 National Championship, the 2014 USAV U-17 Open Division National Championship and 2014 USAV U-17 National Championship All-Tournament Team honors. DeSoto High School -District 8-6A Most Valuable Player and Academic All-District -First-Team All-District three times -First-Team All-State twice -First-Team All-Texas twice 2015 NUMERICAL ROSTER HEAD COACH JERRITT ELLIOTT No. Name Pos. Ht. Cl-Exp. Hometown (Previous School) Head Coach: The University of Texas 2 ...........Tiffany Baker .................OH ............6-3 ....... Jr.-TR ..................................Carollton, Texas (Tennessee) 14th season at Texas 5 ...........Molly McCage ...............MB ............6-3 ....... Jr.-2L ....................................Spring, Texas (Klein Collins) 16th season as a head coach 6 ...........Kat Brooks ......................L ................5-4 ....... Jr.-2L ..................................Honolulu, Hawaii (Punahou) Record at Texas: 349-85 (.804) 7 ...........Nicole Dalton ................UT .............6-2 ....... So.-1L .........................................Parker, Colo.