Texas 'devastated' after second straight runner-up finish
— -- COLUMBUS, Ohio -- When you've been to the final four five straight times and eight of the last nine years, you're not going to garner much sympathy in a sport as deep as volleyball.
But falling one win shy of a national championship yet again didn't settle well for Texas coach Jerritt Elliott or his Longhorns, beaten by Stanford 3-1 on Saturday night at Nationwide Arena.
"It stinks going home with the silver," said Elliott, who has guided Texas to eight final fours in his 16 years. "I walk away from this really, really devastated that we didn't win this."
When you've been the best, second is tough. Texas (27-5) knows the feeling of being No. 1, having won this thing in 1988 and 2012. But instead of hoisting up the trophy a third time, something that seemed like a real possibility two nights ago when Texas stunned No. 1 Nebraska 3-0, the Longhorns were left with talking about coming achingly close again.
Junior Ebony Nwanebu and freshman Micaya White buried each other in a long embrace, while the Cardinal celebration erupted around them. Sophomore Yaazie Bedart-Ghani immediately found Elliott.
"Yaazi put her arm around me and said, 'We're going to get you one of these next year, Coach,' " he said. "We're going to make this thing happen."
It won't be easy considering Stanford returns much of its talent. But Nwanebu could pull this team together in the same way that Stanford's Inky Ajanaku did this season.
Nwanebu, who finished with 16 kills and hit .289, struggled to get out full sentences in the postmatch news conference. "It's weird to think I have one more season," she said. "I have one more season to win a championship. I know 'Caya said in the locker room that all of us need to work our butts off to get to this point next year and have a different outcome. I'm going to do everything in my power to do that."
Poised and powerful against the Cornhuskers, Texas looked like it might have the kind of hitters who could counter the No. 1 blocking team in the nation. Instead, the Longhorns found themselves scrambling for another plan against the Stanford trees -- 6-foot-6 Kathryn Plummer, 6-6 Audriana Fitzmorris and 6-8 Merete Lutz.
Senior Paula Prieto Cerame, who had 12 kills against Nebraska, managed just two with eight errors. That forced Elliott to shift his lineup, moving Bedart-Ghani to the outside and bringing in freshman Orie Agbaji to play middle.
Texas was never able to find the magic that had the Cornhuskers on the defensive almost the entire evening on Thursday.
"With Paulina struggling, we were against the wall," Elliott said. "We made a switch and it became more difficult because the young middle who came in wasn't that experienced. It made us a lot more predictable."
The fact that Texas likely overachieved in 2016 was little consolation on this night. The Longhorns were the NCAA runner-up a year ago and started the season at No. 2 in the AVCA poll, but they were dealt a blow to their depth in the preseason. Two-time All-American middle blocker Chiaka Ogbogu was declared academically ineligible.
It took an emotional toll on this team early on.
"This team had its challenges," Elliott said. "Nicole Dalton and Paulina and Chloe [Collins] and our captains were committed to what this program is about, and that's finding a way to make it happen."
Nebraska swept Texas to open the season, and Kansas secured the Big 12 title. But the Longhorns gelled in the NCAA tournament, staving off elimination when they trailed throughout the fifth set in the regional semifinals against BYU only to survive 16-14.
"The way they grew and developed, I couldn't be more proud of this group and the fight they had," Elliott said. "Late in October, I don't think anybody would have picked us to be in the finals."
Next year, the story could have a happier ending. Texas brings in the top two recruits in the nation in 6-2 outside hitter Lexi Sun and 6-3 middle blocker Brionne Butler. Ashley Shook should contend for the starting setter spot as a freshman.
With White, Nwanebu, Ogbogu, Bedart-Ghani and starting middle blocker Morgan Johnson returning, Texas is a good bet to return to this spot and may be prepared to win a pair in the final four in 2017.
"We're ready to take that next step," Elliott said. "I think we've got the pieces to do that. We'll see when we have competition and chemistry and how I'll manage that; that's going to be a big part.
"I have to walk away from what these seniors have meant and reflect on how proud the program is. And I know we'll get back here and I know we'll win one in the next couple of years."