Playing Through

See, my answer would have been "showering together," which just goes to show why people like me never win conference titles.

The question was: "What's most fun about being on the University of Texas volleyball team?" "Winning" wasn't how the players answered, thank God. That's the kind of reply that blowhard football coaches give, as if they were laying down some existential profundity. But the UT women have been winning. A lot. Without breaking a sweat, it sometimes seems. And there's no doubt about it: It has been fun. Although they haven't been crowned Big 12 champions yet – that won't be decided until this Saturday, when they play their final home game of the season against Kansas State – it's hard to imagine they won't at least share the title with Nebraska (disclosure: I teach and take some classes at UT).

It was a month ago that the Longhorns (22–3) put the country on notice with a "not in our house" night, showing the Cornhuskers the door with a 3–0 thrashing before a raucous sold-out crowd at Gregory Gym. They haven't lost a match since. For that matter, they've barely lost a game. Whereas their hitting percentage (a stat comparable to a batting average in baseball) used to be about .280, this year the Longhorns, ranked No. 3 in the nation, are hitting around .360 with many nights above .400.

Whenever they get a chance to catch their breath, players and coach Jerritt Elliott all wind up saying more or less the same thing: "It's really fun the way we're playing. Everyone feels it."

Fun. Not a word the smart guys on sports broadcasts use much. Instead, they make a fetish of statistics, forgetting to relish the giddy joy that a group of elite athletes, working in perfect synchronicity with one another, can generate.

But what's most fun? "Definitely running a quick hit, just being able to bounce it straight down," says Lauren Paolini, a 6-foot-5-inch junior. "It just brings so much energy. It's like a clean slam dunk. It's awesome."

Whereas Paolini is wide-eyed after delivering one of these quick hits, as if surprised at just how good she really is, you get the feeling that sophomore Destinee Hooker doesn't have an iota of doubt about her own talent. The team leader in kills and blocks (she's also the NCAA high-jump champion), Hooker does this cocky shimmy with her shoulders after a breathtaking spike.

But Hooker and Paolini both know who deserves maximum credit for the team's success: two-time All-American Michelle Moriarty. The senior setter isn't much for giddy celebrations; she's as circumspect as a banker. But getting a set from Moriarty is like getting handed money, Hooker says. She just knows she'll be cashing in.

"When Destinee gets a set from Michelle, I just know the ball is going to go down," marvels Juliann Faucette, a candidate for National Freshman of the Year. "There's just like this aura on the court that nobody can stop us."

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Final Home Game Kansas State

Saturday, Nov. 24, 6:30pm, Gregory Gym, University of Texas
Adult general admission: $7 Senior citizen and youth: $4