Why Camille Presley, Mackenzie Collins could be key in Texas volleyball scrimmage vs Rice

Texas volleyball made its summer debut Monday in impressive fashion, beating No. 14 Minnesota in three out of four sets in a preseason scrimmage.

Now the No. 2 Longhorns want to continue that momentum in their second of two summer scrimmages Friday against visiting Rice.

Sure, coach Jerritt Elliott wants to win the scrimmage at Gregory Gymnasium against an in-state foe. But he also wants to smooth out a few wrinkles before the matches start to matter with the Aug. 22 season opener against Arizona State at the AVCA First Serve event in Milwaukee.

Here are three things to watch at the game 6 p.m. Friday:

MORE: 5 questions as Torrey Stafford, UT start 2026 summer workouts

Ella Swindle: How will the setter shake out?

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TEXAS VS. RICE

When/where:6 p.m. Friday at Gregory Gymnasium

TV/radio:None, but scrimmage is free.

Elliott ran a 6-2 setter rotation against Minnesota, with Rella Binney getting the start and giving way to freshman Genevieve Harris. Returning starting setter Ella Swindle, the lone regular rotational player from Texas' 2023 national championship team, didn't enter the match until the second set and then split time with Harris as the second rotational setter.

Is Binney the starter entering the start of the regular season, and will either Harris or Swindle grab the second setter spot in the rotation? Elliott's lineup decision against Rice should provide a clue of how he approaches the start of the regular season.

Mackenzie Collins: Are Texas' two reserve middles ready to contribute?

The Longhorns have only two experienced middle blockers with senior Nya Bunton and sophomore Taylor Harvey, both of whom started Monday's scrimmage. But no other middle saw action until Mackenzie Collins shook off some rust in the fourth and final set.

That's no surprise considering the circumstances surrounding Texas' two reserve middles. The 6-foot Collins, who also runs track for the Longhorns, didn't join the program until July and hasn't played competitive volleyball since her prep days in the Houston area ended almost two years ago. And 6-foot-3 Camille Presley has unlimited potential, but the 17-year-old who starred at Austin High reclassified from the 2027 recruiting class to 2026 and didn't officially join the Longhorns until Monday.

Elliott may want to get both more action against Rice in order to better understand his options off the bench.

Addy Gaido: Can reserve OH carve out spot in rotation?

The Longhorns boast a fearsome foursome at outside hitter with 6-foot-2 senior Torrey Stafford, 6-3 sophomore Abby Vander Wal, 6-3 sophomore Cari Spears and 6-3 freshman Henley Anderson. All four essentially started against Minnesota, with Spears and Anderson handling the attacking duties on the opposite side.

But does that leave room in the outside hitter rotation for Addy Gaido, a 6-4 sophomore from Georgetown who didn't see any action as a freshman? That's what Elliot wants to find out, based on how he used Gaido against Minnesota. She took Anderson's spot in the rotation and had plenty of swings with mixed results.

As the tallest player on the team, she's a defensive force at the net. But she'll have to show more efficiency as an attacker if she wants to see regular action at a position in which Texas has depth.

This article originally published at Why Camille Presley, Mackenzie Collins could be key in Texas volleyball scrimmage vs Rice.