10/21/03
Longhorns Preview: Kansas
Complete Preview
Match
19: Texas (10-8, 5-4) at Kansas (13-7, 5-4)
When: Wednesday, October 22
(7 p.m.)
Where: Horejsi Family Athletics Center
- Lawrence, Kansas
Series vs. Kansas:
Texas leads the all-time series, 15-2, including a 5-2 mark on the road
Last Meeting: Kansas defeated UT,
3-0 (33-31, 30-26, 30-19), in Lawrence, Kan., on Nov. 2, 2002
Streak:
Kansas has won one meeting
Live stats: Click
Here
THE LONGHORNS IN BRIEF
Texas enters Wednesday's (Oct. 22) match with a 10-8 record overall and a 5-4 mark in Big 12 play. The team is in a fifth-place tie in the Big 12 standings, with Kansas and Colorado. Saturday (Oct. 18), the Longhorns defeated Texas Tech, 3-0, in a conference match at Gregory Gym. Five of Texas' eight losses have come at the hands of ranked teams. Junior All-American Mira Topic (Kastela Kambelovac, Croatia/Vladimir Nazor) leads the Longhorns this season with 279 kills (4.43/game) and 30 service aces. Junior Bethany Howden (Austin, Texas/Westlake) is second in kills, recording 271 on the season (4.30/game). Freshman middle blocker Brandy Magee (Mission Viejo, Calif./Capistrano Valley) tops the team in hitting percentage (.359) and blocks (67). She has also added 156 kills. Freshman setter Jenny Andrew (Houston, Texas/Kingwood) is the team's only setter and has 757 assists, while sophomore defensive specialist Erin Larson (San Antonio, Texas/Ronald Reagan) has 215 digs to lead the team. Overall, the team is out-hitting opponents, .254 to .209, and out-blocking its opponents, 167.0 to 104.5.
KANSAS IN BRIEF
Kansas enters Wednesday's match with a 13-7 overall record and a 5-4 mark in Big 12 play. The Jayhawks are also tied for fifth-place in the Big 12 standings, with Texas and Colorado. On Friday (Oct. 17), KU defeated Iowa State at home, 3-0, in a conference match. Seven times this season Kansas has played five-game matches, earning a 3-4 record in those contests. Four players have 200 or more kills for had coach Ray Bechard's squad, led by senior outside hitter Sara Rome who has 273. She has also added a team-high 235 digs. Freshman outside hitter Janaina Correa (256), junior middle blocker Ashley Michaels (233) and sophomore middle blocker Josi Lime (207) all have 200+ kills this season. Michaels leads the team in hitting percentage (.330) and blocks (62). Setter Ashley Bechard has 607 assists on the season. As a team, the Jayhawks are out-hitting their opponents, .242 to .208, but are being out-blocked by a 194.5 to 118.0 margin.
AGAINST THE JAYHAWKS
Texas leads the all-time series with Kansas, 15-2, including a 5-2 mark on the road. Kansas has won two of the last three meetings as the two teams have each won on their home courts in each of the last two seasons. Texas dominated the early series, winning the first 14 matches and each of the first 11 Big 12 Conference meetings. Last season, Texas won the first meeting of the season - on Oct. 5, 2002-- 3-0 (34-32, 33-31, 30-28) at home. The Jayhawks answered with its own three-game win in the second meeting: 33-31, 30-26, 30-19.
LAST MEETING WITH KANSAS
No. 24 Texas was upset by unranked Kansas in three games, 31-33, 26-30, 19-30, with 1,164 fans attending the match at Horejsi Family Athletics Center on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2002. Kansas dominated the Longhorns in hitting, connecting for a .350 attack percentage, while limiting UT to a .165 mark. Mira Topic had her seventh double-double of the year as she posted 20 kills and 10 digs to lead the Longhorns in both categories. The match marked the fifth time in 2002 in which Topic tallied 20 or more kills. Kathy Hahn was the other Longhorn with double digit kills with 13, and hit .346 on the night. Bethany Howden notched nine kills. The first game was contested back and forth, resulting in 19 ties. Kansas raced out to a quick lead in the second game, but the Longhorns played catch-up and tied the match at 12-12 before KU took the lead for good. Texas could not generate any offense in the third game as the team matched its 11 kills with 11 errors in the final game of the match.
HEAD COACH JERRITT ELLIOTT
Head coach Jerritt Elliott is in his third year at the helm of the Longhorns' volleyball program. He has compiled a record of 50-31 (.617) - including a 10-8 record in 2003 - while at Texas and has guided the team to the second round of the 2001 and 2002 NCAA Tournaments. Including his two-year stint as the interim head coach at Southern California, Elliott has a career record of 100-43 (.699) in five seasons as a head coach.
MILESTONE DAY
With the team's last victory - a 3-0 win over Texas Tech on Saturday, Oct. 18, at UT's Gregory Gym - Texas head coach Jerritt Elliott reached two coaching milestones: his 50th win at Texas and his 100th career win overall.
THEY'RE TALL IN TEXAS
According to research done at richkern.com, Texas has the third-tallest volleyball team in Division I, behind Louisville and Illinois. The Longhorns, who as a team average just under 6-1, trail the Cardinals who average just over 6-1, and the Illini who average 6-1. Pepperdine and Stanford round out the top five tallest teams.
TOPIC HONORED BY BIG 12
Junior outside hitter Mira Topic was selected as the Big 12 Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for her outstanding performance during the week ending Oct. 19. Against KSU in a tight 3-2 loss, Topic posted her seventh double-double of the season tallying 20 kills and a season high of 18 digs. Topic added four aces and four blocks in the match. Against Texas Tech last Saturday, she accumulated 14 kills and nine digs in the Longhorns' 3-0 win. She also recorded a career-high four solo blocks.
ALL-AROUND ANDREW
As her recent triple-double attests, Jenny Andrew - the team's freshman setter - has become an all-around player for the Longhorns, getting involved in the match far beyond just setting the offense. At 6-2, Andrew is also a force at the net, accumulating 47 blocks (0.75/game) and 87 kills (1.38/game). Before her career performance against the KSU Wildcats on Oct. 15, Andrew proved to be the "Aggie-killer" in the team's upset of its traditional rival No. 22 Texas A&M (Oct. 1). That night, Andrew tied her then-career high of nine kills and set the team's top mark in blocks for the season with nine (two solo and seven assisted). Andrew has also added 92 digs on the season. She has played every point this season and is the team's captain on the court during the match.
TOPIC TAKES AIM AT THIRD
Mira Topic has moved quickly up Texas' career kills list since entering it in 10th place on Sept. 5. Topic currently sits in fourth place with 1,336 career kills and is now 62 kills away from third-place Diane Watson (1983-86) who had 1,408. Against No. 8 Kansas State, Topic recorded 20 kills and moved past both Janine Gremmel (1988-91) in sixth place and Dawn Davenport (1985-88), the 1988 NCAA Player of the Year, who was in fifth.
HOWDEN JOINS TOP CLUB, TOO
Bethany Howden, like Mira Topic did earlier this season, has also moved into the Texas career kills list. She currently has 1,153 career kills, passing 10th-place Sharon Neugebauer (1981-84), who had 1,151, against Texas Tech on Oct. 18. Katie Austin (1995-98) is in ninth, collecting 1,166 kills in her career. Howden is 13 kills shy of Austin's mark.
UP NEXT
Texas will have a brief respite - one day - before returning to action. The team will travel to College Station, Texas for a match against No. 21 Texas A&M on Friday, Oct. 24 at 6 p.m.
Longhorns Preview: Kansas
Complete Preview Match
19: Texas (10-8, 5-4) at Kansas (13-7, 5-4)
When: Wednesday, October 22
(7 p.m.)
Where: Horejsi Family Athletics Center
- Lawrence, Kansas
Series vs. Kansas:
Texas leads the all-time series, 15-2, including a 5-2 mark on the road
Last Meeting: Kansas defeated UT,
3-0 (33-31, 30-26, 30-19), in Lawrence, Kan., on Nov. 2, 2002 Streak:
Kansas has won one meeting
Live stats: Click
HereTHE LONGHORNS IN BRIEF
Texas enters Wednesday's (Oct. 22) match with a 10-8 record overall and a 5-4 mark in Big 12 play. The team is in a fifth-place tie in the Big 12 standings, with Kansas and Colorado. Saturday (Oct. 18), the Longhorns defeated Texas Tech, 3-0, in a conference match at Gregory Gym. Five of Texas' eight losses have come at the hands of ranked teams. Junior All-American Mira Topic (Kastela Kambelovac, Croatia/Vladimir Nazor) leads the Longhorns this season with 279 kills (4.43/game) and 30 service aces. Junior Bethany Howden (Austin, Texas/Westlake) is second in kills, recording 271 on the season (4.30/game). Freshman middle blocker Brandy Magee (Mission Viejo, Calif./Capistrano Valley) tops the team in hitting percentage (.359) and blocks (67). She has also added 156 kills. Freshman setter Jenny Andrew (Houston, Texas/Kingwood) is the team's only setter and has 757 assists, while sophomore defensive specialist Erin Larson (San Antonio, Texas/Ronald Reagan) has 215 digs to lead the team. Overall, the team is out-hitting opponents, .254 to .209, and out-blocking its opponents, 167.0 to 104.5.
KANSAS IN BRIEF
Kansas enters Wednesday's match with a 13-7 overall record and a 5-4 mark in Big 12 play. The Jayhawks are also tied for fifth-place in the Big 12 standings, with Texas and Colorado. On Friday (Oct. 17), KU defeated Iowa State at home, 3-0, in a conference match. Seven times this season Kansas has played five-game matches, earning a 3-4 record in those contests. Four players have 200 or more kills for had coach Ray Bechard's squad, led by senior outside hitter Sara Rome who has 273. She has also added a team-high 235 digs. Freshman outside hitter Janaina Correa (256), junior middle blocker Ashley Michaels (233) and sophomore middle blocker Josi Lime (207) all have 200+ kills this season. Michaels leads the team in hitting percentage (.330) and blocks (62). Setter Ashley Bechard has 607 assists on the season. As a team, the Jayhawks are out-hitting their opponents, .242 to .208, but are being out-blocked by a 194.5 to 118.0 margin.
AGAINST THE JAYHAWKS
Texas leads the all-time series with Kansas, 15-2, including a 5-2 mark on the road. Kansas has won two of the last three meetings as the two teams have each won on their home courts in each of the last two seasons. Texas dominated the early series, winning the first 14 matches and each of the first 11 Big 12 Conference meetings. Last season, Texas won the first meeting of the season - on Oct. 5, 2002-- 3-0 (34-32, 33-31, 30-28) at home. The Jayhawks answered with its own three-game win in the second meeting: 33-31, 30-26, 30-19.
LAST MEETING WITH KANSAS
No. 24 Texas was upset by unranked Kansas in three games, 31-33, 26-30, 19-30, with 1,164 fans attending the match at Horejsi Family Athletics Center on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2002. Kansas dominated the Longhorns in hitting, connecting for a .350 attack percentage, while limiting UT to a .165 mark. Mira Topic had her seventh double-double of the year as she posted 20 kills and 10 digs to lead the Longhorns in both categories. The match marked the fifth time in 2002 in which Topic tallied 20 or more kills. Kathy Hahn was the other Longhorn with double digit kills with 13, and hit .346 on the night. Bethany Howden notched nine kills. The first game was contested back and forth, resulting in 19 ties. Kansas raced out to a quick lead in the second game, but the Longhorns played catch-up and tied the match at 12-12 before KU took the lead for good. Texas could not generate any offense in the third game as the team matched its 11 kills with 11 errors in the final game of the match.
HEAD COACH JERRITT ELLIOTT
Head coach Jerritt Elliott is in his third year at the helm of the Longhorns' volleyball program. He has compiled a record of 50-31 (.617) - including a 10-8 record in 2003 - while at Texas and has guided the team to the second round of the 2001 and 2002 NCAA Tournaments. Including his two-year stint as the interim head coach at Southern California, Elliott has a career record of 100-43 (.699) in five seasons as a head coach.
MILESTONE DAY
With the team's last victory - a 3-0 win over Texas Tech on Saturday, Oct. 18, at UT's Gregory Gym - Texas head coach Jerritt Elliott reached two coaching milestones: his 50th win at Texas and his 100th career win overall.
THEY'RE TALL IN TEXAS
According to research done at richkern.com, Texas has the third-tallest volleyball team in Division I, behind Louisville and Illinois. The Longhorns, who as a team average just under 6-1, trail the Cardinals who average just over 6-1, and the Illini who average 6-1. Pepperdine and Stanford round out the top five tallest teams.
TOPIC HONORED BY BIG 12
Junior outside hitter Mira Topic was selected as the Big 12 Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for her outstanding performance during the week ending Oct. 19. Against KSU in a tight 3-2 loss, Topic posted her seventh double-double of the season tallying 20 kills and a season high of 18 digs. Topic added four aces and four blocks in the match. Against Texas Tech last Saturday, she accumulated 14 kills and nine digs in the Longhorns' 3-0 win. She also recorded a career-high four solo blocks.
ALL-AROUND ANDREW
As her recent triple-double attests, Jenny Andrew - the team's freshman setter - has become an all-around player for the Longhorns, getting involved in the match far beyond just setting the offense. At 6-2, Andrew is also a force at the net, accumulating 47 blocks (0.75/game) and 87 kills (1.38/game). Before her career performance against the KSU Wildcats on Oct. 15, Andrew proved to be the "Aggie-killer" in the team's upset of its traditional rival No. 22 Texas A&M (Oct. 1). That night, Andrew tied her then-career high of nine kills and set the team's top mark in blocks for the season with nine (two solo and seven assisted). Andrew has also added 92 digs on the season. She has played every point this season and is the team's captain on the court during the match.
TOPIC TAKES AIM AT THIRD
Mira Topic has moved quickly up Texas' career kills list since entering it in 10th place on Sept. 5. Topic currently sits in fourth place with 1,336 career kills and is now 62 kills away from third-place Diane Watson (1983-86) who had 1,408. Against No. 8 Kansas State, Topic recorded 20 kills and moved past both Janine Gremmel (1988-91) in sixth place and Dawn Davenport (1985-88), the 1988 NCAA Player of the Year, who was in fifth.
HOWDEN JOINS TOP CLUB, TOO
Bethany Howden, like Mira Topic did earlier this season, has also moved into the Texas career kills list. She currently has 1,153 career kills, passing 10th-place Sharon Neugebauer (1981-84), who had 1,151, against Texas Tech on Oct. 18. Katie Austin (1995-98) is in ninth, collecting 1,166 kills in her career. Howden is 13 kills shy of Austin's mark.
UP NEXT
Texas will have a brief respite - one day - before returning to action. The team will travel to College Station, Texas for a match against No. 21 Texas A&M on Friday, Oct. 24 at 6 p.m.
