The Horns’ Roster Overhaul: Who Will Rise in 2025?

The Horns went through quite the roster shake-up this offseason with five players from the 2024 roster graduating and five more transferring out. However, they more than made up for these losses with some cannonball-sized splashes in the transfer portal and five new players from the #1 freshman class in the nation. Given these changes, the Horns are almost a completely new-look squad heading into 2025 and it's worthwhile to look at how the new roster stacks up.

Now, it's important to note that nothing at this point is set in stone. There's still plenty of time before the season begins, and it's still far too early to make any confident claims about what exactly the starting roster will look like. Everything is earned in the Texas gym. Jerritt Elliott does not make playing time promises to transfers or freshmen. Even if you lead the team to a national championship your freshman year, that does not guarantee you a starting spot the next season. 

So with that said, let's take a look at each position group and how the personnel may be used in the 2025 season.

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Setter

One of the biggest story lines of last season for Texas was the competition between two elite setters for playing time in Averi Carlson and Ella Swindle. With Carlson moving on to SMU, that discussion is as dead as setter double contact calls. Swindle is expected to take the full reins, and will attempt to repeat her 2023 success and lead this team back to a national championship. Anything other than a 5-1 system would come as a surprise.

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Middle Blockers

Both of Texas' starting MBs last season were first-year starters, and both Marianna Singletary and Ayden Ames return for a potential second year in the starting lineup. Another year of development should help this young MB group build on their strong foundation from last year. But redshirt sophomore Nya Bunton is returning and healthier than ever, so she could push for one of those spots as well.

And that's not to mention incoming freshman Taylor Harvey, who is the #1 middle in the 2025 class according to PPV. Unlike the other freshmen, Harvey decided to remain in high school this semester to compete in her last high school basketball season, so she won't arrive to Austin until the summer. She will have a shorter window to build setter connections and impress the coaching staff before the season begins. At the very least, this depth at middle will push the starters to be on their A game.

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Defense

This is where roster decisions start to become interesting. The staff made a heavy investment in this position in the offseason, and there are 5 littles here for 2025. The defense is still anchored by senior libero Emma Halter, but Texas nabbed Indiana libero Ramsey Gary in the transfer portal, and some have suggested she could even make a push for the jersey. Is this possible? Can a talented transfer beat out a fan-favorite culture leader? Could this turn into the new Swindle-Carlson debate?

Assistant Coach Reily Buechler Canter seems to think it's possible, but it would be very difficult for Gary to earn the spot. And that's no knock on Gary, but more a testament to Halter's work ethic. According to Buechler Canter, "competing against Emma is possibly the hardest position to compete in because she will work her ass off," calling her "by far the hardest working person on the planet." 

But the discussion goes beyond two defensive players. Jerritt Elliott has said in the past that you need three littles to win a national championship, and Texas has options. Sophomore Reese Emerick played in 6 games last season and returns this year. The team also picked up two-year VCU libero Anja Kujundzic in the transfer portal, and adds the #1 DS in the 2025 class in freshman Callie Krueger. Any of these three could be important contributors. Or they may all get beaten out by another six-rotation OH. Anything is possible.

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Pin Hitters

As many options as there are with defense, there are even more at the pins. All three of the regular starters from the 2024 season have graduated and moved on, so there will be a bunch of fresh faces here. At this point, it feels like the only thing to have confidence in is that Pitt transfer Torrey Stafford will be a six-rotation OH as long as she continues to earn it. She already has two years of experience playing all the way around, and it's likely that will continue at Texas. Beyond that, the field is wide open.

Interestingly, both seniors—Whitney Lauenstein and Devin Kahahawai—have been practicing as OPPs. In a 5-1 system, there's only room for one OPP starter. Could the two be competing for that one starting spot? Possibly. Could they each get half the time in that spot? Sure. Could one be moved over to OH to allow both to start? Yes, just as easily. 

But there's plenty of competition for that OH2 spot behind Stafford even without one of those two switching over. Redshirt junior Kenna Miller has been waiting for her time in the limelight for several seasons now. But she has rookie competition from the two best overall players in the 2025 class according to PPV—Cari Spears and Abby Vander Wal. Both of them are a legitimate threat for playing time as true freshmen. This is a rare feat for OHs at Texas, but if anyone can buck that trend and earn a starting role it's these two.

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As mentioned earlier, all of this is speculation. With this much talent and depth on the roster, it will take time for these battles to shake out, potentially even into the season. The process starts with the Spring matches, where every player on the roster will get a shot to prove themselves on the court.