By Michael Adams
Austin Sports Journal
One of the top volleyball recruits in the Class of 2023 has entered the transfer portal.
Middle blocker Ayden Ames announced via her Instagram account that she plans to enter the transfer portal.
Ames is the first Texas player to announce plans to transfer and just the second regular member of the rotation not returning next season. Libero Emma Halter, the team’s lone senior starter, completed her collegiate career after a 26-4 season and will continue playing professionally with the Indy Ignite of Major League Volleyball.
Ames, a 6-foot-4 standout from Prosper, was one of Texas’ key offensive players. She arrived at Texas as one of the nation’s top recruits at middle blocker. She is a former member of the U.S. under-19 national team, and originally committed to Nebraska before flipping to Texas.
She started all 27 matches as a freshman, appearing in 96 sets while finishing second on the team with 88 blocks. She also recorded 150 kills and averaged 1.56 kills per set, quickly becoming a central piece of the Longhorns’ lineup.
This season, Ames played in 29 of Texas’ 30 matches and led the team with 109 blocks. While her offensive production dipped slightly to 149 kills and a 1.52 kills-per-set average, she remained a steady presence defensively in the middle.
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