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During Texas' Orange-White volleyball scrimmage Saturday, team members launched shots over the net and continually walked under the net to try out various lineups.
The teams officially split the exhibition, with White winning the first game 16-10 and Orange the second, 25-20.
Orange opened on a 6-0 run as senior Mira Topic served a pair of aces, and sophomore Brandy Magee threw down a pair of kills. Orange held White at a distance until Magee traded sides and delivered another set of kills, finishing the match with six. Topic provided a block, and freshman Alyson Jennings notched a kill to seal the first game.
Senior Bethany Howden's last kill of the first game was a prelude to her scoring tear in the second. Howden helped put the first two points on the board with a block assist and a kill before switching sides and rattling off three more kills. Howden finished with 16 kills, many with the help of sophomore setter Jenny Andrew, who finished with 20 assists.
The White team tied the score at 10, but Orange broke into a 7-0 run as four Texas players registered kills. Sophomore transfer Lauren Galler retaliated with four kills in the final minutes, but Orange finished on top.
Once the second game ended, young fans in attendance all but descended from the rafters for an autograph session with the players. Soon the team was swarmed, signing scores of posters and volleyballs.
Seven newcomers compose the majority of the team, with Topic and Howden being the only two returning seniors. Though the team includes 10 underclassmen, head coach Jerritt Elliott knows even the new players will contribute early and often.
"These newcomers aren't nervous and come in with a lot of experience," Elliott said. "Both Alyson Jennings and Sarah Holloway did a great job in the backcourt. Lauren Galler's been real steady and been a bright spot in our preseason."
Sophomore Dariam Acevedo, who transferred to Texas last year from Oregon, returns after playing only one game with Texas before tearing her ACL.
"My strength is almost 100 percent," Acevedo said. "I am feeling strong about going to the court and jumping."
Acevedo missed the team's first eight matches as a member of the Puerto Rican National Team at the 2003 Under-20 Championships in Thailand. As a freshman at Oregon, she earned All-Pac 10 honorable mention and was second on the team in kills, aces and digs per game.
"Dariam has been showing a lot of improvement, being healthy is important for us right now," Elliott said. "She has so much in the ball control area and in experience. She's a real centerpiece for us right now."
Sophomore Lauren Galler is also a transfer to Texas. Galler played at the University of Nevada last year where she accumulated 200 kills as a freshman. Galler earned second-team All-State as a senior at Leander High School in Austin and finished fifth at nationals with the Austin Juniors Volleyball club.
"I grew up wanting to come here and play, just like these girls that are here getting autographs," Galler said. "We're trying to make fans more a part of the game putting the fans' section right by us. I'm really excited about first game. We're looking real good."
Texas will begin its regular season Friday in the SMU tournament, which features SMU, Cal Poly and Northern Arizona. The team will then open its home schedule on Sept. 10 when it hosts the Time Warner Invitational where they will face LSU, Louisiana Tech and Liberty.
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