TAMPA, Fla. — Ella Swindle’s assignment? Take over as starting setter for the defending national champion Texas volleyball team. Navigate a challenging schedule and help the Longhorns get back to the national semifinals. Oh, and do all that as a freshman. No pressure, right?
But Swindle has done it. And she isn’t the only rookie in the spotlight here at Amalie Arena on Thursday for the national semifinals (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) as Nebraska faces Pittsburgh, followed by Wisconsin vs. Texas.
The No. 1 overall seed Cornhuskers have four freshmen who get a lot of playing time, including second-team All-American Bergen Reilly at setter. Pittsburgh has the national freshman of the year in Olivia Babcock, a first-team All-American. She and fellow freshman Torrey Stafford (third-team All-American) are the Panthers’ top point scorers.
It’s not necessarily unusual to have successful freshmen in Division I volleyball. Stanford had four freshmen playing big roles on their 2016 national championship team (that group finished with three NCAA titles). Wisconsin…
