Graduate libero Alli Wells stepped onto the College Park Center court docket on Saturday for the ultimate house recreation of her profession along with her sights set on a program document. Wells has spent the final 5 years rising with the workforce. She and 5 different seniors have been acknowledged pregame for the workforce’s Senior Day.

Wells set this system’s all-time digs document in Saturday’s match on the sport’s last level, one thing “you couldn’t have scripted better,” head coach J.T. Wenger stated.

After the pregame ceremony, followers settled in to look at the Mavericks for the ultimate time this season. As the sport progressed, Wells started to gather digs like she has for her whole profession at UTA, however on Saturday these defensive performs meant extra.

Wells wanted 9 digs Saturday to interrupt this system’s all-time digs document, beforehand held by Alicia Shaffer. She stood on the service line at match level with eight. As she served the ball over the web, Wenger stated he was mentally repeating “don’t get an ace, don’t get an ace.”

The opposing workforce managed the serve, arrange its attacker and slammed the ball down on UTA’s facet. Wells — like she had executed 2,033 occasions in her profession — dug the ball to save lots of the purpose for UTA. The crowd erupted when she received the record-breaking dig and senior outdoors hitter Briana Brown’s kill on the identical play sealed the three-set sweep on Senior Day.

“It’s like a storybook ending that it happened tonight,” Wells stated about breaking the document on Senior Day.

The document comes on the finish of Wells’ fifth season, a season she knew she wished to play at UTA. With the NCAA’s COVID-19 eligibility guidelines, athletes got one further 12 months of eligibility. Wells stated she got here into this 12 months figuring out the document was inside attain and that she wished to get it.

Wells started taking part in volleyball within the fifth grade, the place she performed libero and setter. She stated she loves saving the ball and making loopy performs. Ten-foot kills are thrilling, however making these hustle performs and working down unfastened balls simply hypes everybody up that rather more.

In highschool, she performed volleyball at Texas Image, a membership volleyball workforce. It was there the place Wells realized she may play on the collegiate stage and commenced working with the membership’s individuals to assist her get faculty affords.

“They were a big part of why I’m here, actually,” she stated. “I was originally committed to another school, and that fell through and then Mel at Texas Image talked to J.T. for me, and we met at Image and the rest is history.”

Wells got here to UTA after her first faculty dedication fell via. She initially deliberate to attend Abilene Christian University, however stated she ended up the place she was meant to be in God’s eyes.

Throughout her time at UTA, Wells has become one of many workforce’s leaders. She guides gamers on the court docket, motioning the place to face, and she or he’s all the time speaking to teammates on the sideline when she’s not on the court docket.

She’s constructed bonds along with her teammates, however particularly the group that was honored Saturday. Senior outdoors hitter Brainna Ford stated these six have performed collectively for the final 4 years, constructing chemistry and seniority with one another that helps them in-game. Ford was one of many first to embrace Wells after the sport.

“I was so excited for her,” Ford stated. “That’s not really something that you see a lot, becoming number one in a program. But yeah, that’s Alli.”

Wells stated her favourite off-the-court moments with the workforce have been exploring Seattle’s Pike Place and climbing mountains in Utah on the workforce’s street journeys. The six seniors have identified one another so lengthy they often know what one another are considering with out having to say something, which helps each on and off the court docket.

Her favourite recollections on the court docket, she stated, embrace sweeps over rivals like Texas State University and Stephen F. Austin State University, and the workforce’s wins after lengthy street journeys.

Wenger described Wells as an intuitive participant whose work ethic is “impeccable” and who has all the time been a scholar of the sport.

Wells stated she desires to proceed her time with UTA after her taking part in profession ends as probably a graduate assistant coach. Wells has yet another 12 months of education and needs to maintain the choice of teaching open.

But earlier than these selections are made, there’s nonetheless the remainder of this season to play and Wells is taking all of it in. After Saturday’s recreation, Wells’ household and workforce embraced her as she started to really feel the feelings of the win and the document.

“I almost cried. I teared up. I didn’t think I was going to and then [assistant coach] Lacey hugged me and I was like, ‘oh, it’s happening,’” she stated.

Wenger stated it was a particular alternative for Wells to interrupt the document on house court docket. He enjoys teaching her and famous Well’s ardour and dedication to each volleyball and life.

“Her mark on this program will be felt for years,” he stated.

@isaacappelt

sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu