9/2/03
Texas 3, Texas State 1
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| Mira Topic |
AUSTIN, Texas -- Junior Mira Topic (Kastela Kambelovac, Croatia/Vladimir Nazor) led The University of Texas volleyball team to a 3-1 (30-16, 24-30, 30-16, 30-21) victory before 1,423 fans at Gregory Gym on Tuesday night. The All-American outside hitter had 23 kills, five aces and a hitting percentage of .415 to lead the Longhorns to their first win of the season in their first game at home. Junior outside hitter Bethany Howden (Austin, Texas/Westlake) had 13 kills and a team-high 15 digs in the win.
Texas (1-2) cruised to a first-game win, going ahead for good with a score of 10-5 in the middle of the game highlighted by four Topic kills. The Bobcats (1-3) rebounded with a win in the second game, taking advantage of the Longhorns' .206 hitting percentage while converting at a .397 clip themselves. UT went ahead 19-9 in the third stanza to take control of the match, before coming out and leading the fourth game 9-0 and eventually winning the match. Freshman Brandy Magee (Mission Viejo, Calif./Capistrano Valley) had four kills in the third, while Howden had seven of her 13 kills in the final frame to go with her seven digs.
"It was great to get back home and be in front of our own fans tonight," head coach Jerritt Elliott said. "We played well at times, and learned why consistency is so important in this game. We still have a few things to work on, but we can build on our first win."
Texas State was led by Stephanie Torregrosa, who had 11 kills and eight digs. Amy Amundson had 10 kills for the Bobcats.
UT returns to action on Friday night when it hosts the Longhorn Classic. No. 21 Notre Dame will face off against Houston in the first game of the tournament at 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 5 in Gregory Gym. Texas will follow against Nicholls State at 7 p.m. All fans wearing UT apparel will receive $2.00 off a general admission ticket. Also, children in eighth grade or younger will also receive $2.00 off a general admission ticket.
