It turns out the hottest accessory at the2025 NCAA college volleyball tournamentis not knee braces, or finger tape that can be customized, but a special hair tie created to solve a prominent problems.
Texas volleyball head coach Jerritt Elliott, 57, created TIY hair bands, an acronym for "tie it yourself," after noticing a number of his players would interrupt practice to readjust their hair. The hair band features a 3-foot strand of elastic that can be tied at the ends and looped as many times as necessary to accommodate any hair pattern or hair style. The elastic is covered in neon-colored fabric sheath to provide a strong, yet soft hold.
"Until I got to college and started using TIYs, it was definitely a struggle to find a good hair tie to use consistently," Pittsburgh junior Olivia Babcock toldESPN.
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Elliot first hatched the idea in 2013, telling the outlet he's "very entrepreneurial" and known for his "wild brain." Elliot brought $80 worth of various hair ties on the market and found that one-size fit all bands weren't secure for all athletes and could cause hair damage and headaches if tied too tight.
His solution? A 34-inch basic hair tie that, the company boasts, is two times stretchier and 13 times stronger than an average hair tie, the company boasts. A basic TIY is available for purchase for $8.50 and is comes in numerous colors, including "Euphoria" pink, "Fairydust" lavender, "Lioness" yellow and "Sunset" orange. Players can even match their hair ties to their school colors, like Louisville setter Nayelis Cabello, who opts for a red TIY similar to the school's official Cardinal red.
"I feel like it's definitely made the process easier and made my hairstyles look cleaner," Cabello told ESPN. "And it matches my game-day outfit, so that makes it 10 times better."
TIYs not only infiltrated the Texas women volleyball team, but the entire college volleyball ecosystem. TIYs even expanded beyond volleyball and have been spotted in college softball and college basketball.
Elliot has the Longhorns (23-3) positioned as a No. 1 seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, which Texas opens with a first-round matchup against Florida A&M (14-16) on Thursday. They look to win their first national championship since its back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023. TIYs will surely be on display.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Texas volleyball coach invented hair accessory taking over sport