Kentucky’s Reagan Rutherford, Baylor’s Averi Carlson join Texas volleyball

A little over a week after winning a second consecutive national title, the Texas volleyball team welcomed in a pair of decorated transfers in former Baylor setter Averi Carlson and former Kentucky outside hitter Reagan Rutherford. Both players announced their move to Texas on their respective social media accounts Tuesday.

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Rutherford, a 6-foot senior who grew up in Missouri City outside of Houston, has earned two consecutive All-American honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association. She averaged 3.47 kills per set this past season with a .315 hitting percentage and chipped in 1.53 digs a set and could step into an immediate starting role opposite fellow Al-American Madisen Skinner, a former teammate of Rutherford at Kentucky who transferred to Texas prior to the 2022 season.

Carlson, a 5-11 sophomore from Lucas in North Texas, has started at setter for the past two seasons at Baylor, where she won the Big 12’s newcomer of the year as a freshman in 2022 and picked up all-regional honors from the AVCA this past season. Her role looks a bit more murky than Rutherford considering the presence of Ella Swindle, who became just the third true freshman setter in NCAA history to lead her team to a national title.