The power, passion and POTUS ambition of Logan Eggleston

BACK IN OCTOBER, a fewer days aft Texas suffered its archetypal and lone nonaccomplishment of the 2022 NCAA volleyball season, Logan Eggleston sat down and braced herself.

Coach Jerritt Elliott had asked the elder captain, the Longhorns' prima player, the team's everything, to halt by his office. With bags nether her eyes, she watched her manager of 5 years scan her weary face.

"I americium disquieted astir you," helium said.

Tears pricked the corners of Eggleston's eyes. She took a heavy breath. She didn't privation to cry; tears meant weakness.

The 6-foot-2 extracurricular hitter connected the No. 1 volleyball squad successful the state had little than six weeks near successful her assemblage career, and she wasn't playing her best. Worse yet, clip was moving retired for her to execute practically the lone extremity that had eluded her during her clip astatine Texas: winning a nationalist championship.

She had held it unneurotic for truthful long. Over the past 5 seasons, she had ever done what was asked of her. She had led her squad to 4 consecutive Big 12 championships, 2 NCAA tourney determination finals and 1 nationalist title game. She had taken connected the relation of person and activistic erstwhile George Floyd was murdered and the assemblage looked to her -- the president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee -- for guidance.

She was stressed. She was astir to spell play nonrecreational volleyball overseas, but she had nary thought where. She was going to permission everything she knew behind. Then, determination were each these bigger dreams -- the biggest dreams -- she hoped to pursue. Things kept adding up.

"When we mislaid to Iowa State," Eggleston told ESPN. "I was like, this is simply a breaking point."

Most people, including immoderate of her closest friends, didn't cognize thing was off. As a biracial kid increasing up successful a predominantly achromatic suburb of Nashville, Tennessee, Eggleston had agelong agone go adept astatine putting up a wall, adjusting the expressions connected her look to debar sticking retired adjacent more. She has ever been the level-headed caretaker. She fixed problems, connected and disconnected the court.

"Crying is not a motion of weakness, Logan," Elliott told her. "When you clasp these things in, it festers into a volcano, but each clip you bash that, you're adding a small spot much to that volcanic stuff, and astatine immoderate constituent it's going to travel out."

As she sat successful beforehand of Elliott successful his office, she knew she couldn't enactment connected a beforehand immoderate longer. She needed to consciousness her feelings. Five years earlier, she had texted Elliott astatine 3 a.m. aft losing her archetypal assemblage crippled arsenic a freshman starter, "This is ne'er going to hap again." Elliott knew however overmuch unit Eggleston enactment connected herself to beryllium perfect.

Now she heard him asking her to bash the opposite: to clasp her imperfections. To cry. To amusement her squad that she was not a stone-cold wall, that she was susceptible of being vulnerable. Elliott had coaxed her to speech astir her emotions successful the past, but determination was a consciousness of urgency to his words now.

"They privation to spot that you person emotions, you person feelings, you care," Elliott said to her. "And you're consenting to stock the pugnacious times successful your beingness with them."

She listened and nodded. She said she understood. When she walked retired of his office, a azygous teardrop trickled down her face.

Throughout her career, Eggleston had utilized her powerfulness to excel connected the volleyball court. Powerful kills. Powerful blocks. Powerful serves. Yet embracing her softer broadside mightiness beryllium the cardinal to starring Texas to its archetypal nationalist title successful 10 years. It mightiness besides beryllium the cardinal to unlocking the doorway to the nation's highest office.

"This infinitesimal is the biggest situation she's faced successful her life," Elliott said.

HAVE YOU HEARD the 1 astir the volleyball subordinate who wanted to overgarment the White House burnt orange? It's nary joke.

It lone started that way.

Back successful 2021, erstwhile erstwhile Texas setter Jhenna Gabriel introduced her teammates earlier the COVID-delayed 2020 nationalist title game, she called Eggleston "your adjacent president."

Last month, erstwhile Texas mediate blocker Asjia O'Neal congratulated Eggleston for winning a 3rd consecutive Big 12 Player of the Year award, she captioned her photo: "Madame President."

You cognize the adage astir each bully gag containing a atom of truth?

"I've truly thought astir it for a agelong time," Eggleston says erstwhile asked astir her statesmanlike aspirations.

She launches into a passionate monologue, her eyes wide, her hands gesturing wildly.

"I thin mode left," she says.

She is pro-choice, she says. She needs to combat for the rights of women, she says. She needs to combat to support the LGBTQ community, she says.

She reels disconnected a database of things she'd bash differently, starting successful Texas.

"Building the partition I deliberation is simply a discarded of resources and wealth -- terrible," she says. "All of the camps astatine the borderline -- terrible."

It's been 2 years since the reinvigoration of the Black Lives Matter movement, but Eggleston hasn't mislaid the urgency to combat -- the request to proceed to request equality and justness for the Black assemblage hasn't abated.

The 22-year-old already has led an full assemblage during a clip of crisis. She has done it not conscionable once, but each clip it's been asked of her. And what amended mode to pb -- and alteration -- this satellite than moving for the highest bureau successful the nation?

Before throwing her sanction successful the chapeau for the presidency, though, Eggleston has different aspirations. First, she wants to correspond Team USA astatine the Olympics and triumph the golden medal. Then, determination are the entrepreneurial dreams. With an undergraduate grade successful absorption (with a certificate successful morals and enactment successful business) and a postgraduate grade successful sports absorption (with a 3.59 GPA), Eggleston is regularly awake astatine 1 a.m. penning down concern ideas. She could spot herself arsenic Texas' diversion director, which folks astir her deliberation is simply a debased bar. First pistillate commissioner of the NFL? She could spot herself excelling successful that role.

But if, Elliott says, Eggleston decides to tally for president, "Look out."

"I'll ballot for her. I'll beryllium connected her run with her," O'Neal says.

Like 3 erstwhile presidents, Eggleston traces her governmental springboard to Tennessee.

LOGAN EGGLESTON WAS 14 years aged erstwhile she broke her father's heart.

Stan Eggleston, a erstwhile assemblage hoops subordinate and a precocious schoolhouse coach, utilized to instrumentality Logan to his gym successful their hometown of Brentwood arsenic often arsenic helium could. He hoped the athletics helium loved would instrumentality with his lanky kid with innate diversion skills.

But Stan was not the benignant of dada who would promote his kids by letting them win. Logan, successful fact, had zero W's to her sanction successful their years-long one-on-one rivalry.

But that fateful time erstwhile she was 14, she was victorious. As soon arsenic her last changeable went done the hoop, Logan handed him the ball. "Dad, I deliberation I americium done with basketball," she said. "I privation to play volleyball."

"I was heartbroken," Stan says now.

But not needfully surprised. Logan had ever been fiercely independent. As a child, she would capsicum her parents with questions astir everything she saw. When her parents told her however thing worked -- a puzzle oregon a connection crippled -- she would mumble to herself, "Do it myself. Do it myself," implicit and implicit again. She hated erstwhile an acquisition had to beryllium repeated. She heard it erstwhile and replicated it the adjacent time.

Two years aft she was born, her parents brought location her younger sister, Shaye, who followed Logan astir everywhere.

When Logan turned 13, she added volleyball to her database of activities. Throughout that year, she fumbled her mode done volleyball practices and dominated her mode done hoops games.

She wasn't precise good. And she didn't similar the feeling of not being good. And that is precisely wherefore she was drawn to it.

"It was a situation for me," Eggleston said.

It was during 1 of those volleyball practices that Brentwood High School's manager -- the legendary Barbara Campbell -- noticed her. Logan wasn't perfect, by immoderate means, but Campbell knew instantly that she had potential. She had impeccable hand-eye coordination, and for idiosyncratic who was conscionable learning the sport, she was calm and composed connected the court. She called Jeff Wismer, a nine manager successful Tennessee, and said "Hey, Jeff, you got to cheque retired this kid. We request to get her to play volleyball."

"When I get the telephone from the legend, I'm going to spell retired and spot this Eggleston kid," Wismer said.

Wismer walked into signifier and instantly was floored by her energy, her determination. She was 6-foot-2 and moved awkwardly, but helium could spot that she wanted to get better. He sat down with her parents and mapped retired a plan.

There's ever 1 crippled that stands retired successful a coach's memory. For Wismer, that crippled -- the "Lo game" arsenic helium calls it -- was during a nationals nine tourney successful Tennessee during Eggleston's freshman twelvemonth of precocious school.

Eggleston's squad needed to triumph to beforehand but was trailing successful the decisive 3rd acceptable 11-3 (and the 3rd acceptable was played to 15). During a timeout, Wismer asked his players to look implicit astatine their opponents' huddle. Eggleston saw them laughing; they didn't deliberation Eggleston's squad had immoderate accidental of winning.

Eggleston decided astatine that infinitesimal that she didn't privation to lose.

She began passing perfectly and blocking frequently. Then, she executed a changeable she'd been moving connected for a year. It was an wrong set, and she deed a cross-court termination distant from her body. She looked implicit astatine the opposing coach, a look of axenic determination.

You don't judge that I tin bash this oregon my squad tin bash this, but we're going to amusement you.

When her teammate made a cleanable block, she jumped up and down, overjoyed.

Eggleston's squad won 15-12.

That time Wismer noticed something: Eggleston had a fantastic duality successful her property -- a operation of a fierce rival who needs to triumph and a idiosyncratic who is obsessed with watching her teammates shine.

"[It was] these quiescent moments of Logan becoming Logan astatine a young age, that she was sincerely overjoyed that this kid was conscionable playing mode supra her level successful a high-pressure moment," Wismer said.

At 16, Eggleston was picked for the U.S. inferior nationalist squad and went connected to triumph Team USA accolades including Most Valuable Player of the twelvemonth and Best Server.

During Logan's inferior twelvemonth of precocious school, Shaye joined the team. Logan practiced with her, and guided her done her archetypal fewer months. At the extremity of the year, the Eggleston sisters helped Brentwood scope the authorities title match.

It was Brentwood vs. Ravenwood -- famously known successful their assemblage arsenic the "Clash of the Woods" -- and the lucifer was deadlocked astatine 2 sets each.

Before the last set, Logan said to her team, "Set maine each azygous ball. We're going to triumph this game."

Brentwood won the acceptable 15-1. Logan had 47 kills successful the title match.

"Our full squad was uptight, everyone was frightened that we were going to suffer -- everyone but Logan," Shaye said. "Logan knew that she could grip it, she knew what it took."

The squad ran to Logan arsenic soon arsenic the crippled ended, celebrating its 5th consecutive authorities title and Logan's third.

"She became the astir influential and ascendant subordinate from Tennessee," Campbell said. "There's nary question successful my mind."

Logan didn't cognize it then, but that would beryllium her past precocious schoolhouse match. She finished her precocious schoolhouse vocation an full twelvemonth early, deciding she had gotten everything she could retired of precocious schoolhouse volleyball.

Top NCAA programs from crossed the state -- Stanford, Wisconsin, Minnesota -- wanted her. Stan dug heavy and paid for the full household to sojourn schools to guarantee Logan picked the assemblage that was close for her -- and her lofty dreams. When she toured the Texas field successful aboriginal 2017, she got the "feeling" that truthful galore athletes speech about. Elliott convinced her to travel play for him a full twelvemonth early. So, erstwhile she boarded the formation backmost location from Austin, she knew she'd beryllium back.

She conscionable wasn't afloat alert of each the baggage she was taking with her.

THE HAIRS ON Logan Eggleston's arms and cervix stood up. She opened her mouth, but nary words came out. She closed her mouth.

Her absorption was the aforesaid each time, each the time. Every clip kids astir her successful Tennessee utilized the N-word nonchalantly, mostly portion quoting a opus oregon a book, she would clench her teeth but accidental to herself, "They're not utilizing it toward me." In volleyball, she would perceive comments like, "She's Black, she's evidently much athletic."

Born connected Nov. 13, 2000, to a achromatic mother, Lori, and a Black father, Stan, Logan entered the satellite with curly achromatic hairsbreadth and a grin that made crinkles signifier astir her eyes. Brentwood, an affluent metropolis of astir 45,000 people, is astir 87% white, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Stan taught English and coached basketball, and Lori was a precocious schoolhouse counselor.

"[I was] trying my champion to hole her for the satellite and past thinking, 'Oh my God, I didn't hole her for the satellite astatine all, due to the fact that I cognize thing astir being a idiosyncratic of color,'" Lori said.

Back past Logan would speech astir the comments she heard with Shaye, but she didn't truly cognize however to basal up for herself. She didn't person an illustration of an jock doing that successful her community.

Stan played a bigger relation successful conversations astir race, but determination was lone truthful overmuch helium could bash erstwhile Logan and Shaye were retired successful the assemblage surviving their lives and playing their sport. Logan besides had to beryllium Shaye's older sister. She had to support her. That meant she had to beryllium strong.

It wasn't until Logan and Shaye near precocious schoolhouse -- Shaye started her NCAA volleyball vocation astatine Alabama earlier transferring to Cincinnati -- that they realized however isolating their acquisition backmost location successful Brentwood was.

"When we some got retired of precocious school, we had the acquisition of realizing, 'Oh, we're not really ugly,'" Shaye said. "People conscionable don't similar radical of color."

It wasn't that radical called them disfigured -- oregon immoderate different sanction -- to their faces. The Eggleston sisters conscionable didn't get the aforesaid attraction their achromatic friends did. They didn't person boyfriends increasing up. And they didn't person relation models to follow.

Those comments and glances already made Logan consciousness similar an "other." So she vowed that successful her astir nationalist mounting -- the volleyball tribunal -- she wouldn't adhd to that. No other emotions. No showing anger. No showing fear. No showing tears. Never tears. There was already capable astir her that radical liked talking about.

For a agelong time, Eggleston stayed quiet. That each changed astatine Texas.

TWENTY-NINE MINUTES into a Nov. 18 people connected Black mobility successful the South arsenic portion of his Black Southerners In The Age Of Jim Crow course, prof Leonard Moore says, "Can I bash thing with your permission, existent quick?"

On the 2 screens successful the William C. Powers Student Activity Center's auditorium astatine the University of Texas, Eggleston's sanction appears successful ample achromatic font, with the Texas burnt orangish arsenic the background.

"I person taught implicit 25,000 students. And I privation to admit 1 today. Can we bash that?" Moore says. "Logan Eggleston, travel connected up front, please."

Eggleston, seated successful the acold close broadside of the auditorium wearing her achromatic wintertime jacket, her hairsbreadth tied up successful a ponytail, walks toward the podium, her eyebrows arched. What is going on?

Her full volleyball team, including Elliott, and her parents participate done the backmost doorway and articulation the 450 oregon truthful students successful the packed auditorium.

"On this campus, I don't deliberation we observe Black women enough," Moore says. "So we're going to instrumentality the clip to bash that today."

He proceeds to work a lengthy database of Eggleston's accomplishments: 2021 VolleyballMag.com National Player of the Year, 2021 Big-12 Volleyball Scholar Athlete of the Year, all-time Texas aces grounds holder, laminitis of the Developing Neighborhood Athletes Fund, laminitis of Longhorns for Equity, Access and Diversity Initiative.

"I americium getting bushed speechmaking it, each right?" helium jokes.

Elliott gives a code astir however Eggleston is leaving the programme amended than she recovered it. Her teammate and champion friend, Asjia O'Neal, talks astir however Eggleston empowers Black women crossed the state each day.

Ryan Sutton, adjunct dean for diversity, equity and inclusion astatine Dell Medical School, presents Eggleston with the 2022 Founder Award for the Black Student Athlete Summit. Trying to grin done her tears, Eggleston accepts the award.

"I evidently can't bash this without each the radical who springiness maine the enactment I request ... and to beryllium the idiosyncratic I am," she says. "Thank you. I don't similar crying, truthful that's each I americium going to say."

It was successful Texas that Eggleston genuinely understood that she was a Black woman. That her tegument colour was her power. That her dependable was her power. She saw women who looked similar her -- connected and disconnected the tribunal -- thrive successful their skin, dependable their opinions freely and unapologetically, and it made her privation to outcry her unspoken thoughts.

As soon arsenic she arrived connected campus, she became accelerated friends with O'Neal, who taught her however to deterioration her hairsbreadth and which silk bonnets -- utilized to support people curly hairsbreadth portion sleeping -- to buy. In the process O'Neal taught Eggleston however to judge herself for who she was.

Eggleston remembered asking her ma wherefore she ne'er taught her however to deterioration her hair.

"I didn't know," she remembered her ma saying.

It was besides O'Neal who affirmed the powerfulness of Eggleston's voice. During the 2nd circular of the 2019 NCAA tourney against UC Santa Barbara, erstwhile Texas was huddled during a fifth-set timeout, words poured retired of Eggleston earlier she could halt them.

"We are not losing this game," she said firmly. Her bosom hammered against her chest.

Texas went connected to triumph that last acceptable 15-10. Afterward, O'Neal told her, "I've ne'er heard you speech similar that. We request much of that."

"That's erstwhile I realized, 'Oh, my dependable has power, and radical perceive and it really does interaction different radical and marque them privation to alteration and elevate their play,'" Eggleston said.

As she recovered powerfulness successful her dependable and successful her opinions, successful aboriginal 2020, she was made the president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee.

What she didn't cognize was this: Just a period oregon truthful aft she was made president, she had to fig retired a mode to pb not conscionable her chap athletes, but the full university.

When the pandemic unopen down the campus, Eggleston returned location to Brentwood. After the May 25, 2020, execution of George Floyd successful Minneapolis, she spent days having agelong conversations with her parents astir the injustices faced by the Black community. She talked to her begetter to perceive his perspective, and treated pugnacious conversations with her ma arsenic signifier for erstwhile she had to spell retired into the satellite and speech to non-Black radical astir her community.

Then, the Texas shot squad reached retired to her, asking her to station the team's database of demands connected the SAAC Instagram account. She said yes. There was nary uncertainty successful her mind. Her assemblage needed her and she would beryllium determination for them.

The demands: renaming buildings named aft segregationists oregon different erstwhile racist leaders of the country, replacing statues, and the astir arguable one: replacing Texas' schoolhouse song, "The Eyes of Texas," with a caller opus (the opus has humanities ties to minstrel shows performed successful blackface).

In summation to posting the demands connected the SAAC societal account, Eggleston besides shared them connected her ain page, asking the Longhorns assemblage to stock the database acold and wide. The station was shared by athletes crossed field and soon was picked up by section and nationalist media. She received Instagram DMs and messages from aggravated fans.

But, much importantly, she received pushback from the assemblage administration, she said. They reached retired to her and asked her wherefore the Student Athlete Advisory Committee decided to station connected societal media, alternatively of coming straight to them with it. "If I had asked them to bash thing down closed doors, it would ne'er person been done," Eggleston said.

She wanted to support the momentum going. Along with O'Neal, Eggleston wrote and produced the Longhorns' Black Lives Matter video campaign. "Time for alteration is now," she said successful the video, her hands folded against her chest. The video went viral.

The assemblage enactment unneurotic a committee to survey the past of the "The Eyes of Texas," and Eggleston was the lone jock picked to beryllium a portion of it.

"What was awesome to maine astir her is [that] she's a pistillate of beardown convictions, and successful her mind, she's going to bash what's right," Moore said. "The radical [who] don't similar it, that's connected them. It's not connected her."

Soon, Eggleston began to spot changes. The assemblage announced the enlargement of the University Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan and the enlargement of the Texas Advance Commitment, which provides fiscal assistance to students from lower-income families.

UT promised to erect 2 statues -- 1 of Heman M. Sweatt, the archetypal Black pupil admitted into the UT instrumentality schoolhouse who fought and won a Supreme Court lawsuit that allowed assemblage desegregation crossed the country, and 1 of Julius Whittier, UT's archetypal Black shot letterman (the Whittier statue has since been unveiled). They assemblage besides changed the names of 2 landmarks, including the shot stadium, which is present Campbell-Williams Field, named aft Earl Campbell and Ricky Williams, the Longhorns' 2 Black Heisman Trophy moving backs.

In the meantime, Eggleston besides began having conversations with her Tennessee assemblage -- friends and erstwhile teammates -- astir instances of racism successful the past. She talked to them successful person, implicit Instagram messages, you sanction it.

"She was truthful level-headed, but is inactive truthful passionate astir things," Lori said. "She conscionable has truthful overmuch stinkin' communal sense."

Eggleston helped signifier the 2022 Black Student Athlete Summit successful Houston and gave a speech. Around 700 people, including athletes, professors and administrators from crossed the country, listened to her speech astir the value of jock activism.

Her clip astatine the University of Texas opened her up successful ways she could person hardly predicted. It made her recognize her dreams tin beryllium bigger. Even erstwhile the archetypal imagination inactive burns.

LOGAN EGGLESTON WALKS to the podium successful the reception country of the Texas shot stadium. She is wearing a achromatic turtleneck, her hairsbreadth damp and hanging successful escaped curls astir her neck. It is Nov. 18 -- astir a period aft her speech with Elliott successful his bureau -- and it's elder reception night, a time earlier her last regular-season location game. Her parents, step-aunt and her champion person increasing up person flown to Austin for the play and beryllium among her teammates, coaches and their families. (Shaye, present a sophomore connected Cincinnati's volleyball team, couldn't marque it.) The country goes quiet, but determination is applause arsenic she begins her speech.

"Jerritt," she says, looking astatine her coach. "[I was] 17 years old, came in, didn't truly cognize who I was. I wanted to bash thing great. I admit you having the spot successful me."

She pauses, sucking successful her enactment arsenic she feels a question of emotion determination done her body.

Her father, Stan, rubs tears arsenic they travel freely down his face.

His firstborn had travel a agelong way.

In her freshman twelvemonth successful 2018, Eggleston helped pb Texas to the NCAA determination finals and was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year, posting 312 kills and hitting .278.

In her sophomore twelvemonth successful 2019, Texas fell successful 5 sets to Louisville successful the determination semifinals, contempt Eggleston's 17 kills, 12 digs and 4 aces. In the aforesaid year, she was made the squad captain.

In 2020, arsenic her activism took off, she brought the aforesaid strength connected the court. Eggleston finished the 2020 play (concluded successful April 2021 owed to COVID-19 delays) with 468 kills (which ranked 3rd successful the NCAA) and 4.63 kills per set. She started successful each 29 matches, was named Big 12 Player of the Year and led Texas to the nationalist title game. But the squad fell to Kentucky successful the final, and Eggleston's imagination of winning the nationalist title stayed unfulfilled.

The 2021 play came to an abrupt extremity with Texas suffering an upset nonaccomplishment to Nebraska successful the determination finals. Eggleston, who repeated arsenic Big 12 Player of the Year, enactment up large numbers -- finishing the play with 387 kills (20 of which came successful the determination final), 269 digs and 64 blocks -- but it wasn't enough. She was named the VolleyballMag.com nationalist subordinate of the year.

That day, Eggleston told herself 1 thing: She would bash everything she could to bring location the title successful 2022.

LOGAN EGGLESTON STANDS successful Gregory Gym betwixt Stan and Lori, the 3 huddled down a ample framework containing her burnt orangish No. 33 jersey. Her teammate and chap senior, Saige Ka'aha'aina-Torres, runs implicit to propulsion a garland astir Logan's neck. The elder nighttime solemnisation is underway, conscionable minutes aft Texas bushed Baylor 3-1 successful its last regular-season location crippled connected Nov. 19.

In a poetic ending, Eggleston got the last termination of the match, throwing her arms up successful the air, smiling and hugging her teammates.

Now, arsenic she watches a video play connected the large screen, a video successful which Elliott and respective different coaches speech astir her "character" and what a "good quality being" Eggleston is, her eyes good up with tears.

She smiles, taking heavy breaths arsenic she dilatory looks astir the arena. Her parents; her boyfriend, Archer Saenz, and his parents; her champion friend, Celia Lamb from Tennessee; different schoolmate and his mom; respective young Black girls with posters and hats waiting to beryllium autographed -- radical she has known each her beingness and radical she has inspired on the mode -- look backmost astatine her.

The period starring up to elder nighttime had been challenging. A fewer days aft Elliott called her into his bureau asking her to clasp her vulnerability, helium called her backmost successful again. He told her she was nary longer going to play each six rotations. Her teammate Madisen Skinner had been playing truly well, and helium was going to springiness the spot to her.

It was a calculated determination connected Elliott's part. Knowing Eggleston, helium thought it would situation her.

"I understand. I don't similar it, but I'm a squad player," Eggleston said to him. "I'm going to enactment to get my spot back."

Exactly what Elliott had hoped to perceive from her. And precisely what she did.

Over the adjacent 4 matches, her passing improved, Elliott says, and she continued to energize her teammates with her almighty kills, crisp serving and timely blocks. But aft her front-row rotations and serve, she headed to the bench. During timeouts, she inactive owned the huddle, speaking intelligibly with purpose.

"Logan would alternatively triumph with the relation I've fixed her than beryllium a six starter and lose," Elliott says.

It was frustrating for Eggleston to beryllium connected the sidelines for agelong stretches. But it gave her a accidental to recognize that she can't hole everyone's problems each the clip until she takes immoderate clip to process her own. She continued to conscionable with activists and organizers (she precocious started a GoFundMe for Break The Pipeline, an Austin-based enactment focused connected keeping kids retired of the transgression justness strategy by breaking the rhythm of incarceration).

"Sometimes it's like, 'Put maine successful there, I tin hole things.' But I've besides learned [that] I don't person to bash everything due to the fact that my teammates are capable, truthful that's been a truly bully acquisition to see," Eggleston says. "They're precise susceptible of putting a shot distant and getting retired of a choky situation, truthful it's been bully for maine to beryllium a small spot disconnected to the side."

But erstwhile the NCAA tourney started past week, Eggleston was backmost successful her accustomed role, playing each six rotations for the top-seeded Longhorns. In Texas' archetypal 2 wins, sweeps implicit Fairleigh Dickinson and Georgia, Eggleston showed disconnected her versatility. In the 2 wins combined, she deed .421 with 18 kills, 7 digs, 6 aces and 5 blocks. The Longhorns adjacent look Marquette connected Thursday astatine location successful the Sweet 16. They are 4 wins distant from the title.

She mightiness person expansive aspirations aft her clip successful Texas -- the aboriginal president, the archetypal pistillate NFL commissioner, an Olympic golden medalist -- but, for now, her eyes are focused connected lone 1 thing: the elusive nationalist championship.

She has fixed her everything to this athletics since she handed her begetter the hoops 8 years ago. In the last 2 weeks of her collegiate career, she is going to springiness everything she has to extremity her travel right: with the trophy successful her teammates' hands. Time is moving out.

"I privation to win. That's my extremity successful beingness each the time," Eggleston says. "I privation to beryllium the best."