9/11/03
Texas 3, UT-Arlington 1
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| Kathy Hahn |
AUSTIN, Texas - Texas volleyball defeated UT-Arlington, 3-1, in the fourth game of the Time Warner Cable Texas Invitational on Thursday night before 1,110 fans at UT's Gregory Gym. Junior All-American Mira Topic (Kastela Kambelovac, Croatia) tied her own Texas record for kills in a four-game match with 32, while teammate Bethany Howden (Austin, Texas/Westlake) finished the night with 22. With the win, Texas improved to 4-3 on the season and jumped above .500 for the first time in 2003, while UT-Arlington dipped to 1-6.
The night was also highlighted by the return to action of Longhorn captain Kathy Hahn (Leander, Texas/Leander), who had not played yet in the 2003 season. Hahn recorded four kills and four blocks in her first action since 2002. "The team was emotionally charged by Kathy's return," head coach Jerritt Elliott said. "Mira had a strong game and demonstrated why she was an All-American last year. Overall, we executed our game plan well and overcame the troubles we had in the third game to get a needed win. This is a big lift heading into tomorrow's game against UCLA, which played very well in its two games today (3-0 wins over UT-Arlington and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi)."
Texas extended a 10-4 lead in the first game behind six-straight points on Brandy Magee's (Mission Viejo, Calif./Capistrano Valley) serve before UTA scored three quick points to pull within two points at 12-10. From that point on, the Longhorns maintained a lead of at least two points and went on to take the game, 30-25. Topic started the game strong, striking eight kills in the first game. UTA's Melissa Robinette had five kills for the Mavericks.
Play continued in much the same manner in the second game with the Longhorns holding a slim advantage until UTA was able to pull ahead, 13-11. The Longhorns used four quick points on Kathryn Wilson's service to regain the lead for good and take the game, 30-26. Howden had six kills to lead the team.
Topic continued with the strong hand in the third game collecting 12 kills in the stanza, despite the fact the Longhorns dropped the game, 30-25, to UTA. Robinette also had a strong game, recording six kills. UTA had a .500 hitting percentage for the game, while Texas dipped to .279. The Mavericks used a strong opening, running a score of 10-5, before Texas was able to recover. UT attempted a late-game rally, pulling to 28-24, but UTA held off the charge.
The two teams traded points until 7-7, but Texas benefited from three Howden kills to take the lead for good. The Longhorns built a 23-17 lead and closed out the match on a 7-4 run. Topic had eight kills and Howden had seven, while Jenny Andrew (Houston, Texas/Kingwood) had 13 of her career-high 61 assists in the game.
The final two games of the Time Warner Cable Texas Invitational will be played on Friday, Sept. 12 at UT's Gregory Gym. UT-Arlington will face Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 5 p.m. before Texas faces No. 9 UCLA in the nightcap at 7 p.m.
Time Warner Cable Texas
Invitational
Game 1: No.
9 UCLA 3, UT-Arlington 0
Game 2: Texas
3, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 0
Game 3: No.
9 UCLA 3, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 0
Game 4:
Texas 3, UT-Arlington 1
