How a bald coach solved volleyball's ponytail predicament

"IN THE HOURS before a volleyball game at Pitt's Fitzgerald Field House, Olivia Babcock sits near her locker, content to reside on the outskirts of activity unfolding around her. Several teammates jockey for space in front of the locker room mirror as they prepare their ponytails to withstand the fast-paced and high-flying action. Libero Emery Dupes gets her blonde hair braided by redshirt sophomore Haiti Tautua'a. And above the chatter, "music czar" Dalia Vîrlan fills the room with the Panthers' hype-up playlist."

"Babcock, Pitt's star right-side hitter, has already put in the work. Her mahogany-hued braids are pulled back into a ponytail that falls between her shoulder blades. The style is secured with a royal blue hair band that matches her uniform. She always takes care to do her hair before arriving at the gym. "Look good, play good," says the 2024 AVCA national player of the year who is hoping to lead Pitt to the final four for the fifth straight season. "Game-day hair is important.""

"Believe it or not, the brains behind this innovative accessory belong to a 57-year-old bald man: Texas volleyball head coach Jerritt Elliott. More than a decade ago, Elliott identified a ponytail problem. Not his own ponytail, of course, but those of his players. Practice after practice, athletes interrupted drills to adjust their hair. So Elliott invented a solution. TIYs are sold as 3-foot strands of elastic covered in a fabric sheath."

Olivia Babcock prepares meticulously for games, emphasizing game-day hair and wearing a royal blue band that matches her Pitt uniform. Teammates braid and style hair while a designated teammate supplies a hype playlist. TIY hair bands ("tie it yourself") gained rapid adoption across college volleyball for their strong but soft hold and signature knot. Coach Jerritt Elliott identified recurring ponytail interruptions during practice and created TIYs to solve the problem. TIYs are sold as long elastic strands covered in fabric, tied at the ends and wrapped into multiple loops to secure hair.

Read at ESPN.com