Kayla Caffey relishing expanded role as Longhorns clinch Big 12 title
Photo by Scott W. Coleman
Kayla Caffey might be the only Texas volleyball player without a name on the back of her jersey, but that doesn’t mean she’s less important.
It’s quite the opposite, really.
The redshirt senior and the top-ranked Longhorns clinched the outright Big 12 title with a 3-0 (25-16, 25-18, 26-24) win over Kansas on Wednesday and a 3-1 (25-19, 19-25, 25-23, 25-23) on Saturday.
“It’s super cool,” Caffey said. “It’s another accomplishment for this group and for myself. This is my last year playing, so it’s really great to make these memories with these girls. I feel like we’ve grown as the season has gone on.”
Caffey’s volleyball journey has spanned seven seasons.
She spent four years at Missouri and two with Nebraska. She redshirted in 2016, received a medical redshirt in 2018 and took advantage of the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
When the NCAA granted her request to play a seventh season, a scholarship at Nebraska wasn’t available, so she decided to come to Texas.
“When I first came in, everyone welcomed me to the group,” Caffey said. “I started this year on the bench, and I’ve earned my way onto the court. It’s been awesome to be part of the group and see that role develop.”
Caffey had seven kills and four blocks last December as she helped the Cornhuskers end the Longhorns’ season in the Elite Eight.
She’s become a key contributor for No. 1 Texas as the season wound down, finishing with eight kills and four blocks against Kansas, and three kills and three blocks against the Bears on Senior Day.
The win against Baylor also clinched the sixth-consecutive Big 12 Championship for the Longhorns, who finished the regular season 22-1 overall and 14-1 in conference play,
It was also the last regular season game at Gregory Gym for Caffey and fellow Texas seniors, Jenna Ewert, Saige Ka’aha’aina Torres, Zoe Fleck, and Logan Eggleston.
“At this program, winning conference titles is what we expect to do,” Texas head coach Jerritt Elliott said. “It’s easy to take for granted, but to be able to win this many games is hard. The emotional ups and downs are difficult, and they’ve worked hard all year long.”
Gregory Gym will assuredly host the NCAA Tournament, which begins Dec. 1 and Dec. 2 at campus sites around the country.
“I wouldn’t say we’re at the climax yet, but we’re close,” Caffey said. “I still say we have a little bit more to give, so I’m excited to see where we end up after the next couple of matches. I still think we’ve got a little bit more.”
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Originally published November 22, 2022 in the Hill Country News