Texas faces tall task when it battles the tallest in Wisconsin

By Joey Johnston for VolleyballMag.com

TAMPA — The Texas Longhorns have battled expectations, a 5-3 start to the season and staring their demise squarely in the face while overcoming a match point in the region semifinals.

For the defending national champions, it has been one challenge after another.

Now for a really sizable task.

How can the Longhorns cope with the front line of Wisconsin, which includes junior Anna Smrek (at 6-foot-9 the tallest player in the college game) and Carter Booth (6-7)?

For Texas to stand tall in Thursday night’s NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship national semifinals at Amalie Arena, it must find a way to avoid getting stuffed at the net. Easier said than done.

When the Longhorns (26-4) challenge the Badgers (30-3), it’s a question of whether their speed and athleticism can overcome the Wisconsin Wall. Many have tried. Few have succeeded.

“I think we have a super competitive gym,’’ Texas coach Jerritt Elliott said. “We see big blocks in our gym all the time. Obviously, Wisconsin is really big. We have super dynamic athletes. We have our own physicality. We have our own speed.

“It’s part of the fun matchup, always trying to figure out the puzzle of how to beat teams. Some teams are super fast. Some teams are a little bit bigger. It’s the component that we’ll have to figure out. I think they (Texas players) have a little chip on their shoulder to go out and find a way to make that happen.’’

It would be folly to paint Texas as a severely mismatched opponent, though. The Longhorns also are one of the nation’s top blocking teams, so action at the net could be riveting.

“Obviously, she (Smrek) is a lot bigger than I am, a lot taller,’’ said middle blocker Asjia O’Neal (6-foot-3). “Their whole entire team, they’re a large block. But we have a really large block in our practice gym every single day. And I think just how dynamic all of our players are to find ways around that.

“They aren’t going to get frustrated. It will be really fun to see because these are two really good defensive blocking teams.’’

Wisconsin coach Kelly Sheffield described O’Neal as “one of the best blockers in the world,’’ saying the Badgers must be wary of her competitiveness and experience.

“Texas is going to play the way they want to play,’’ Sheffield said.

But it’s undeniable that Wisconsin’s stature will influence the match’s tone.

“I’ve hit against that every day in practice and it’s a little demoralizing to get absolutely roofed by Anna or Carter,’’ said senior outside hitter Sarah Franklin, the Big Ten player of the year. “It’s really exciting to see that in a game and know that they’re on your team. We have so many other aspects of the game that put pressure on the other team and to have another block on top of that is a lot to deal with.’’

Setter Izzy Ashburn agreed that Wisconsin’s overall game is top-notch.

“It’s great to train against (big blockers),’’ Ashburn said. “It’s fun to see what another team sees from that perspective. Not only is our front court tall and great blockers with a lot of speed, but our back court does a lot of work that doesn’t get as much recognition.

“So working those two things together, we’re a great defensive team. It’s hard to set against. It’s hard to hit against. It’s hard to serve against.’’

Sheffield said Texas poses its share of problems with a fast-paced offense, similar to the Oregon team encountered in the region final that he referred to as “greased lightning.’’

“That’s one of the fun things about the NCAA Tournament as you go, that every team has the ability to stress you out … and the stress is different from match to match,’’ Sheffield said. “It could be behind the service line or tempo or their size or the player that they are running.

“Certainly, Texas stresses you out in a very, very different way. But that stress is very real because what they do — and how they’re doing it — is at an elite level.’’

Sheffield said he actually believes mindset and mentality will be the largest factors to decide Wisconsin vs. Texas.

“When you get to this stage, the No. 1 thing you’ve got to do is manage the moment and the emotions,’’ Sheffield said. “It’s not just game plan or executing, but are you at a place where you can get better as the match goes on? If you’re not reading the game and learning as you can, then you’ll have really big problems.

“All of these final four teams are excellent defensively. You have multiple people who can terminate from all four teams. And there are four teams that can win in more than just one way. I don’t remember too many times where we could say that about a final four.’’