[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 165 (Thursday, December 20, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8298-S8299]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONS

 Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, it is with great pride that I 
pay tribute to my alma mater, the University of Texas at Austin, and, 
in particular, the Texas Longhorns Volleyball team, the 2012 National 
Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Women's Volleyball Champion.
  On Saturday, December 15, 2012, the Texas Longhorns won their third 
national championship for women's volleyball, and first NCAA Volleyball 
title since 1988. After reaching their fourth NCAA Final Four in five 
seasons, the Longhorns outlasted the Michigan Wolverines in five sets 
in the semifinal to advance to Saturday's championship match. The 
Longhorns then proceeded to post a .438 hitting percentage in the 
final--breaking an NCAA record--and swept the Oregon Ducks in three 
sets to earn the 2012 title.
  Longhorn outside hitter Bailey Webster led the way with 14 kills and 
a .500 hitting percentage in the championship match. After recording 96 
kills and a .458 hitting percentage during the NCAA postseason, Webster 
was voted as the Most Outstanding Player of the 2012 NCAA Division I 
Women's Volleyball Tournament. She was joined on the All-Tournament 
team by three Longhorn teammates: Hannah Allison, Haley Eckerman, and 
Sha'dare McNeal.
  This was the first national championship for Jerritt Elliott, the 
coach of the Longhorns since 2001. Coach Elliott also guided the 
Longhorns to their fifth Big 12 Conference championship in six seasons 
and was named the 2012 American Volleyball Coaches Association AVCA 
Division I National Coach of the Year.
  The Longhorns finished the season with a 29-4 record, and were 15-1 
in conference action to claim their second straight conference title. 
Four Longhorn student athletes earned All-America honors. Bailey 
Webster and Big 12 Player of the Year Haley Eckerman were selected to 
the first team, and Sha'Dare McNeal and Khat Bell received honorable 
mention recognition.
  Winning the national championship is an achievement which will long 
be cherished by each of these Longhorns: senior Sha'Dare McNeal; 
juniors Hannah Allison, Megan Futch, Sarah Palmer, and Bailey Webster; 
sophomores Khat Bell, Haley Eckerman, and Madelyn Hutson; freshmen Kat 
Brooks, Nicole Dalton, Sara Hattis, Molly McCage, and Amy Neal; coaches 
Jerritt Elliott, Salima Rockwell, Erik Sullivan, and special assistant 
Nathan Mendoza; women's athletics director Christine Plonsky; and 
University of Texas at Austin president Bill Powers.
  One of my favorite scenes in all of Texas is found on the original 
Forty Acres of my alma mater. There rising 307 feet at the center of 
campus is the University of Texas Tower. The tower is a beacon for all 
Longhorns day and night, when it is flooded with light and set aglow 
against the nighttime sky. It is a particularly spectacular sight when 
Longhorn student athletes win a national championship, and the tower is 
bathed in burnt orange with a number ``1'' displayed on all sides to 
mark the achievement.
  With the 2012 Women's Volleyball National Championship, the U.T. 
Tower has now been illuminated to celebrate 50 athletic national 
championships. Congratulations to the National Champion Texas Longhorns 
Women's Volleyball team, and Hook 'em Horns!
 Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I congratulate the University of 
Texas women's volleyball team for their national-championship victory 
over the University of Oregon. The Lady Longhorns swept the Ducks 3-0 
to secure their first NCAA title since 1988.
  It was a fitting capstone for a remarkable season, in which the 
Longhorns finished 29-4 and rallied from a 2-1 deficit against Michigan 
in the national semifinals. Their championship game against Oregon drew 
the second-largest crowd in tournament history.

[[Page S8299]]

  I salute 12 veteran Head Coach Jerritt Elliot for coaching the 
Longhorn volleyball squad to its third national title. I also salute 
Associate Head Coach Salima Rockwell, Assistant Coach Erik Sullivan, 
and Special Assistant Nathan Mendoza, all of whom mentored these young 
women and helped them reach their full potential. And, of course, I 
salute the players themselves, such as junior outside hitter Bailey 
Webster, who was named Tournament MVP; All Tournament team members 
Haley Eckerman, Hannah Allison, and Sha'Dare McNeal; and all the rest 
of the Longhorns: Ashley Bannister, Khat Bell, Kat Brooks, Nicole 
Dalton, Megan Futch, Sara Hattis, Madelyn Hutson, Molly McCage, Amy 
Neal, and Sarah Palmer.
  It is my honor to join with the entire University of Texas family, as 
well as Longhorn fans across our great State, to celebrate their 
achievement. In its long and proud athletic history, the University of 
Texas has now won 50 national titles overall.
  The Longhorn volleyball team has learned what it takes to become 
national champions, and the experience that each of these athletes has 
gained will prove invaluable in their future endeavors.

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