Portal Posts: National Champs Make Huge Splash

Last week, Texas brought in former Nebraska star Whitney Lauenstein. It was a major move at the time for a team just days removed from a National title. Lauenstein was an All-Region Team member in 2022 and was a former top-20 prospect. 

Well, Texas just topped it. The Longhorns made a double splash, landing top portal players Reagan Rutherford and Averi Carlson. 

Rutherford played at Kentucky the last four seasons and will now use her grad year to play for the reigning champs. Rutherford is a back-to-back All-SEC Team Honoree. She was named All-Region and an AVCA All-American in 2022 as well. Rutherford only had three matches last year under ten kills. In four seasons with the Wildcats, Rutherford finished with 918 kills and 252 blocks. She is one of the best to ever play for Kentucky, and Texas landed her in the portal. 

Texas then landed Averi Carlson from Baylor. Carlson was the #3 player in the 2022 class and top setter. She attended Baylor and rewarded them immediately. In 2022, she was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year, All-Big 12 First and Freshman Team, and AVCA All-Region Southwest Freshman of the Year. She finished her freshman year with almost 1,300 assists and 250 digs. She also averaged an ace per match during her Baylor career. 

Her Sophomore year was just as good. She was named an alternate to Team USA’s Collegiate Team, finished on the Big-12 Second Team, and was named to AVCA All-Region First Team. She finished with 1200 assists and another 250 dig season. With two years of eligibility remaining, Carlson might be the top recruit of Texas’s class. 

Texas is well on its way to being the top team again in College Volleyball, and with the additions of Lauenstein, Rutherford, and Carlson, they easily have the top transfer class in the country.