Are you ready for some football? Well, that's a dumb question. At this time of year in Texas, who isn't?
The real question is: Are you ready for some volleyball? With football Fan Appreciation Day moved to Gregory Gym this Saturday, fans will have the rare opportunity to watch the defending Big 12 champion Texas volleyball team practice.
So, since you'll be there anyway, you might as well check out the volleyball team. After the success the team had last season, making their second consecutive trip to the regional finals, going 27-4 and sharing the Big 12 championship, the Longhorns are picked first in the Big 12 season poll.
This team could be good, perhaps scary good, and exciting to watch. The reason: Unlike the football team last year, the volleyball team can actually recruit! They've had three straight No. 2 recruiting classes. The 2008 Texas football recruiting class didn't even crack the top 10, according to Rivals.com.
The future of Texas volleyball is middle blocker Rachael Adams. The 6-foot-2-inch No. 2 recruit in the nation was recently named the Big 12 preseason freshman of the year. Adams has an out-of-this-world vertical you'll need to check out in practice.
Put Adams in the middle on the front line with outside hitter Juliann Faucette, preseason co-player of the year, on one side, and the gifted 6-foot-4-inch Destinee Hooker on the other side, and it will be hard for anything to get past the front line. You won't even need to worry about the loss of fan favorite libero Alyson Jennings on the back row, because no balls will ever get back there. OK, maybe not. But it's a nice thought anyway.
While she may not get to wear the black jersey this year, Sydney Yogi is a highly touted libero from Hawaii, ranked as a top-50 recruit according to Prep
Volleyball.com. She is another new one to watch.
I spoke with coach Jerritt Elliot on the phone last month about his No. 2 recruiting class, and he was very excited and optimistic about how the new players on the team can add to the team's versatility. If they need to change their alignment to counter an opponent's attack, it shouldn't be a problem with all of the current and new players to choose from.
Fans may not be happy that the Fan Appreciation Day got moved from the stadium to Gregory Gym, the scrimmage is closed, and the autographs are limited to coach Mack Brown, the 13 senior players and quarterbacks Colt McCoy, John Chiles and Sherrod Harris.
But you can't complain about the chance to see a Big 12 champion team in the process. Even if it's not the one on the gridiron.
WHAT: Fan Appreciation Day WHERE: Gregory Gym WHEN: Saturday, 11 a.m.
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