It's gonna be interesting to see if Elliott sticks with her or goes with another setter with a week off and then entering the conference schedule.
I think Gabriel brings the emotional leadership intangible that Shook lacked and most often than not she knows how to set her hitters. I just wonder how the players will react if they have to adjust to a new setter.
But it'd be nice to have a bigger setter block that doesn't get abused.
Until we get another Defensive coach to replace Sullivan, who can also convince Jerritt to change his coaching philosophy on passing/ball control, I'm not holding my breath...
The 2022 class has:
L/DS - Halter 5'4 (who is ranked the #1 Indiana recruit by some recruiting services)
MB - Singletary 6'4
OH - Miller 6'0
* Getting 6'3 Kahahawai would be icing on the cake. I can see her playing as a 6-rotation Opp next season, with Molly moving back to MB when Butler graduates.
Texas gained some serious height on the front line with the 2023 class:
S - Swindle 6'2
MB - Bunton 6'4 (from 2021 USA U18 training roster; Bunton has been listed anywhere from 6'2-6'5, depending on the recruiting service, but some of those services haven't updated heights from when they were ranked ~ 2 years ago.)
OPP & Lefty - Tomkinson 6'4
OH - Helmers 6'3
Gabriel's setting is good when she doesn't have to run set...but with the way Iosia, Logan, Parra, and Petersen were passing and digging up balls tonight, her setting was trash.
This is where this team is sorely missing Morgan O'Brien - she was able to consistently dig up a ball right to target, where Gabriel didn't have to move.
This is taught, that's why we see PAC 12/BIG liberos have excellent ball control. Jerritt teaches them to just dig a hard-driven ball up off the net (even if it puts the team out-of-system) to give the setter an opportunity to just throw it up to the left pin hitter.
That's been his system and why he needs high-flying jumpers on the left pin.
Saige KT is finally on the roster!
Setter position just got more interesting this season. I'm hoping it will be healthy competition that propels the team chemistry forward and not backwards....
I'm pretty sure she was the #1 setter in her class.
She enrolled early in the Spring 2020 to get a head start, but then the pandemic happened. Then she was injured all last Fall, and played sparingly last Spring...
She's setting better this year and offers a better block at the net, but she's still slow getting her feet to the ball when setting and her floor defense is meh.
I think she's gonna be Shook 2.0
Yeah, Morgan was the difference maker last year...Never have I seen Texas be in-system and run it's offense so consistently...and I've been watching TX Volleyball for a very long time.