11/19/03

Colorado 3, Texas 0

» Box score

	Mira Topic

AUSTIN, Texas - Behind 16 kills and a .462 hitting percentage from Maragda Santillana, Colorado defeated Texas, 3-0, in Big 12 volleyball action on Wednesday night before 1,471 fans at Gregory Gym. Texas (12-14, 7-10 Big 12) held an 11-4 lead in the final game, and continued to lead at 26-21 as the game wound down, but Colorado (19-8, 11-6 Big 12) rallied with a 11-4 run to close out the third game and the match.

Junior Bethany Howden (Austin, Texas/Westlake) had a game-high 17 kills, and junior Mira Topic (Kastela Kambelovac, Croatia/Vladimir Nazor) had her 12th double-double of the season with 14 kills and 10 digs. For the Buffaloes, Santillana paced the offense with 16 kills, while Nicole Carr had 15 and Monique Gerlach had 12. Gerlach also added five blocks, while freshman Brandy Magee (Mission Viejo, Calif./Capistrano Valley) added four to lead UT. Overall, Colorado hit for .366 and limited Texas to a .204 mark.

"We really needed to win this match to stay in the hunt for a postseason bid, but we just didn't get the job done," Texas head coach Jerritt Elliott said after the match. "We had spurts where we played well, but we had major defensive breakdowns which led to Colorado coming back twice."

After six quick points and a 3-3 tie, Howden ripped three quick aces to help extend a 6-2 advantage early in the first game. The Buffs came back within two points, at 11-9, but Texas reeled off a 12-5 run to pull ahead 23-14. Colorado responded with three fast points and then posted a 14-6 rally to close the game with a 32-30 win. Colorado's Carr spurred the run, connecting for two kills and two aces.

Colorado blistered the ball in the first game, hitting .306 and connecting for 5.0 blocks. Texas' Howden and Topic, and CU's Santillana, each recorded six kills in the game to lead their respective teams.

Colorado carried the momentum it generated in the first game into the second, building a 12-point lead at 18-6. The Buffs capitalized on Texas' five errors in that stretch, but also helped themselves with 11 kills on only two errors. The Longhorns used a 12-6 from that point to climb back within six points - to 28-22 - then staved off one game point at 29-23. UT pulled to within five at 29-24, but Gerlach's kill capped the game and handed Colorado a 2-0 lead heading into the break.

The Buffaloes continued to punish the ball in the second game, hitting for .400 to the Longhorns' .125. Howden continued to pace the team in kills, adding five in the second game. Santillana and Gerlach each also added five for the Buffs.

The Longhorns return to action on Saturday, Nov. 22. The team will host Oklahoma at 7 p.m. at Gregory Gym.