Orange powers past White in Volleyball scrimmage
AUSTIN, Texas -- The Orange team, mostly composed of returning starters, defeated the White team of mostly newcomers, at the 11th-ranked Texas volleyball team's annual Orange & White Scrimmage on Saturday afternoon at Gregory Gym. Freshman Lauren Paolini led all Longhorns will 11 kills, but her White team fell, 30-17 and 30-28, to the Orange squad. Prior to the match, the team hosted its annual Kids' Clinic. Approximately 300 children came to learn volleyball from the Texas team, rotating through four stations that included serving, hitting and passing. The clinic was free to all children in sixth grade and younger. After the hour-long session, all the participants got the chance to take a "team photo" with the Longhorns and then tour the team's facilities - including the locker room - at Gregory Gym. With 12 players on the team, head coach Jerritt Elliott and assistant coach Brian Hosfeld split the team up evenly with six plalyers apiece. Michelle Moriarty, Dariam Acevedo, Jen Christian, Heather Schreiber, Brandy Magee and Leticia Armstrong made up the Orange team, while Jenny Andrew, Paolini, RuthAnn Feist, Kiley Hall, Alyson Jennings and Jennifer Todd suited up as the White team. Moriarty and Andrew switched teams for the second game, giving each squad a chance to work with both setters. Armstrong and Magee each had eight kills to pace Orange, while Todd added seven kills and Hall six for White. Orange out-blocked White, eight to one, as Armstrong had six blocks, all block assists. Magee added two aces and seven digs, while Acevedo also had seven digs. Magee also led all Longhorns with a .800 attack percentage, with no errors on 10 attacks Hall and Jennings each had six digs for White. Acevedo and Feist each also added two service aces for their respective teams. In the first game, the two teams played within several points until Magee stepped up to serve with Orange ahead 20-16. The team ran off 10-straight points on her serve to move to 29-16 before an Armstrong kill sided out to give the game to the veterans. The scrimmage was only supposed to be one game long, but Elliott decided to play a second game after Orange took the opener. So the teams switched sides and played two. In game two, the teams went back and forth with neither team holding more than a two-point lead until 27-26, Orange, when Schreiber's kill gave the team a lead it wouldn't relinquish. Back-to-back errors by the White team gave Orange match point, but then Orange game the White team two free points on errors of their own. However, Armstrong's game-ending kill ended the match, giving Orange the 2-0 victory. Texas officially opens its season on Friday, Sept. 2, when the team travels to Notre Dame, Ind., to participate in the Irish Invitational. The Longhorns open with Arizona State at 7 p.m., before taking on host Notre Dame on Saturday, Sept. 3 at 5 p.m. That match will be broadcast by CSTV on a tape-delayed basis on Sunday, Sept. 4 at 5 p.m.
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