To the victor go the spoils, especially in the transfer portal.
Just over a week after winning its second straight national title, the Texas volleyball team welcomed a pair of decorated transfers in former Baylor kicker Avery Carlson and former Kentucky hitter Regan Rutherford. Both players announced their move to Texas on their social media accounts on Tuesday.
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Rutherford, a 6-footer who grew up in Missouri City outside Houston, has earned two consecutive All-American honors from the United States Volleyball Coaches Association. She averaged 3.47 kills per set last season with a .315 hitting percentage and had 1.53 digs per set and could slot into an immediate starting role opposite fellow All-American Madison Skinner, a former teammate of Rutherford’s at Kentucky who transferred to Texas previously for the 2022 season.
Carlson, a 5-11 sophomore from Lucas at North Texas, started as a prep the past two seasons at Baylor, where she won Big 12 Newcomer of the Year as a redshirt freshman in 2022 and earned AVCA All-Regional honors this year. Last season. Her role seems a bit more ambiguous than Rutherford’s given the presence of Ella Swindle, who became the third true freshman in NCAA history to lead her team to a national title.
Carlson could give Texans coach Gerrit Elliott the option of running a 6-2 rotation, which uses two players. She’s also an excellent defensive player and one of the best servers in the Big 12 last season, when she averaged 10.42 assists per set and served 37 aces on the season for a .972 serve percentage.
Carson and Rutherford join former Nebraska outside hitter Whitney Lauenstein as gateway arrivals for the 2024 season. The 6-2 Lauenstein last played in 2022, when she earned AVCA All-Regional honors.