It's official: Former Nebraska pledge Ayden Ames signs with Texas volleyball

Texas officially welcomed former Nebraska pledge Ayden Ames to its 2024 class Thursday, ending a wild week in the world of volleyball recruiting.

Ames, a 6-foot-4 attacker from Prosper in North Texas, announced last week her intentions to decommit from the Cornhuskers and pledge to Texas. She couldn’t make it official Wednesday by signing her national letter of intent because of ongoing clerical work but expressed her excitement at joining Texas on Thursday.

Ames plays at multiple spots on the front row for Prosper but will probably focus on middle blocker at Texas, which has a history of producing elite athletes at the position.

"Texas is my home," Ames said in a statement released by UT. "As a middle blocker, I could not pass up the opportunity to become a part of the rich history of Middle Blocker University. Texas has produced some of the most successful middle blockers in the country, and I hope to take my game to the national level someday. Texas offers an unbelievable education, amazing fan base, and it's close to home. I cannot wait to play in front of Longhorn Nation."

Last summer, three middle blockers with Texas ties — UT exes Chiaka Ogbogu and Brionne Butler and current Horn Asjia O’Neal — competed for the U.S. national team at the Women’s Volleyball Nations League Finals.

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Rated as the 10th-best prospect in the nation by PrepVolleyball, Ames is a versatile attacker who played on the U.S. under-19 national team that won a FIVB world championship this summer. She's an Under Armour All-American and averages 4.7 kills, four digs and 1.3 blocks a set for Prosper, which advanced to the regional tournament in the Class 6A state playoffs.

Texas coach Jerritt Elliott also welcome libero Reese Emerick from nearby Westlake High School as well as setter Rella Moon Binney from Hawaii and defensive specialist Brennan Ramirez of Waxahachie.

The 5-8 Emerick, a member of the American-Statesman’s All-Central Texas team, completed a decorated prep career this week with a third-round playoff loss to defending Class 6A champion Dripping Springs. She played four seasons on Westlake’s powerhouse varsity team and compiled a school-record 2,118 digs and 135 aces in her career, according to stats compiled by MaxPreps.

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Texas will lose only a handful of players from this year’s team. Middle blockers Ella Bergmark and O’Neal will move on after completing their season, and defensive specialist Carissa Barnes is a redshirt senior after transferring from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the offseason. Outside hitter Molly Phillips will complete her fifth collegiate season this year.

Texas has already corralled commitments from three prospects for the 2025 class: the nation’s top prospect, outside hitter Macaria Spears, as well as two Austin-area products, Cedar Park libero Callie Krueger and Georgetown outside hitter Addison Gaido.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Former Nebraska pledge Ayden Ames signs with Texas volleyball