The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Eckerman and Bell leaving their legacy as four-time Big 12 Champs
11.16.2014 | Volleyball
Seniors Khat Bell and Haley Eckerman are the only players in Texas history to win a Big 12 Championship in their four years as Longhorns.
On Saturday, Nov. 15, seniors Haley Eckerman and Khat Bell led the No. 5 Texas Volleyball team to its eighth Big 12 title.
For Eckerman and Bell, there has been no alternative to finishing at the top of the conference, as the seniors have won the Big 12 in all four of their years with Texas.
Despite Texas' eight Big 12 Conference titles and five in the last six years, Eckerman and Bell are the only duo to achieve this honor in the Longhorns' rich history of All-Americans and championships.
"That's pretty special," Texas Head Coach Jerritt Elliott said. "It shows you the legacy of what they've been able to do. It shows you the strength of our program. That's a great accomplishment that they should be really proud of."
Neither Eckerman nor Bell are strangers to accolades.
Eckerman is a three-time All-American, a two-time Big 12 Player of the Year and was named Volleyball Magazine's Player of the Year in 2013.
Bell is also an All-American, earning the honor in 2012 and 2013 and named to Volleyball Magazine's Second Team in 2013.
But for the seniors, four-straight Big 12 titles is more than just another honor.
"It's another accomplishment that Khat and I get to have together," Eckerman said. "It's an honor to know that it's just another legacy that can be talked about and we are going to be a part of it."
Bell knows how significant it is, considering the alumni and tradition that they chose to be a part of in 2011.
"It means a lot to fall into that legacy that Texas has and continuing that tradition of the girls before us like Juliann (Faucette) and Bailey Webster," Bell said. "It's a great feeling."
The legacy started in 2011 when the duo came in as freshmen. That year, the Longhorns went 15-1 in the Big 12, their only loss to No. 25 Oklahoma, and finished the season in the NCAA Regional finals.
In 2012, Texas rolled right through the conference, again with a 15-1 record, until its final match at Iowa State--the famous "important loss" that eventually led the Longhorns to their first national championship since 1988.
Last year, there was no debating that Texas ruled the conference, as the squad went undefeated, 16-0. This season ended in the NCAA Semifinals.
But for Bell, the 2012 championship meant the most because of that crucial loss.
"Going 10-0 was fun, but 2012 was the year," Bell said. "We were undefeated and then lost to Iowa State, but even though we lost, it led us to the championship."
And of course this year the seniors wrapped it up again, doing it in dramatic fashion. After suffering their first loss of the season to Oklahoma, a 3-0 defeat in Gregory Gym, the Longhorns had a chance to win the title outright on their rival's floor. And they did in five sets.
How badly did the seniors want this for Texas? Together, the duo posted 31 of UT's 68 kills, Bell hitting .483 and Eckerman .225. Eckerman finished with three services aces and Bell added four blocks.
"It feels great, because we've accomplished our first goal," Eckerman said. "Our first goal is always to win the Big 12. To know that we have done that every single year, it gives us more confidence."
Texas' season is nowhere close to being over, but Eckerman and Bell are already thinking about the legacy they will leave and how they can influence the younger players to keep it going.
"I go hard every day," Bell said. "I was talking to the young girls last night and about the rivalry between OU and Texas. It's so old, but still so fresh and I want to make sure they come in and want to continue to claim those titles."
Both players have done their part, paving the way for the younger players and giving them even more tradition to build on.
"It gives them the confidence that they can do it too," Eckerman said. "They now know that it is a goal that can be accomplished."
