11/2/03
Iowa State 3, Texas 1
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| Bethany Howden |
AMES, Iowa -- The University of Texas fell, 3-1, to Iowa State in a Big 12 Conference volleyball match on Sunday afternoon before 515 fans at ISU's Hilton Coliseum. After dropping the first game, the Cyclones won the next three, including two extended games, to take the victory, 26-30, 30-27, 32-30, 31-29. The win was Iowa State's (11-13, 3-10 Big 12) first-ever over Texas (11-11, 6-7 Big 12), who had won the prior 16 meetings dating back to 1984.
Junior Bethany Howden (Austin, Texas/Westlake) tied a UT record for kills in a four-game match with a career-high 32, equaling junior Mira Topic's (Kastela Kambelovac, Croatia/Vladimir Nazor) marks, which she set in 2001 and then tied earlier this season. Earlier this week in the Longhorns' 3-1 victory over No. 24 Missouri, Howden set the UT record for attacks in a four-game match with 86, a mark that is two short of the overall school record of 88, which was set by Kathy Tilson in 1999 in a five-game match.
"Even though our offense was clicking tonight, we just didn't show up on the defensive side today," Texas head coach Jerritt Elliott said after the match. "Defense is like going to work everyday, when you don't show up for work, and especially in the Big 12, you don't get the results you want."
The final two games of the match went in "overtime" with each playing past the 30-point mark. In the third game, Texas held a slim 21-19 lead before ISU came back to tie the game at 22-22. The two teams battled through two ties before the Cyclones went ahead 26-24. Texas rallied to tie the score again, at 29-29, and Howden then posted back-to-back kills to give the team game point at 30-29, but ISU used a kill by Ashlie McWee and back-to-back blocks to score three straight points, taking the game and a 2-1 lead. Howden recorded 11 kills in the game, half of UT's total 22 kills in the frame.
In the fourth, Texas maintained a three-point lead throughout the game until Iowa State tied the game at 27-27. The two squads tied twice before ISU used kills from Lindsey Chapman and McWee to take the match.
In the lone game it won, Texas pulled out early in the first game, extending a 13-9 lead before Iowa State battled back to pull even at 18-18. The Longhorns closed the match with a 10-6 run to take the first game, capped by a Howden kill, her sixth of the game.
In the second, the Longhorns continued to lead through most of the game, posting a 21-17 lead and looking in control of the game. But the Cyclones posed a 13-6 run to close the game and tie the match at 1-1.
Texas posted a strong hitting percentage to open the match in the first, using a .286 mark to take the game, while limiting ISU to a .200 mark. Iowa State continued to improve throughout the match, raising its hitting percentages to .256 in the second, .326 in the third and .353 in the fourth. After the first game, Texas fell to .182 in the second before spiking to .312 in the third. The Longhorns hit .293 in the final game.
Howden's 32 kills were a match high, leading Topic, who added 20. Topic also tied her season-high in digs with 18 for her ninth double-double of the season. Setter Jenny Andrew (Houston, Texas/Kingwood) recorded the team's second double-double of the game, adding 61 assists and 10 digs. Erin Larson (San Antonio, Texas/Ronald Reagan) had 11 digs.
Four Cyclones recorded double-figure kills, led by Katie Kruenegel's 17. Brittany Dalager had 23 digs to match her 10 kills for a double-double.
Texas has a week off before returning to action on Saturday, Nov. 8. The Longhorns will host Kansas in a 7 p.m. match at Gregory Gym on the UT campus.
