The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
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Kansas
Topic breaks school career kill mark in 3-1 win over Kansas
11.17.2004 | Volleyball
AUSTIN, Texas -- Texas senior All-American Mira Topic (Kastela Kambelovac, Croatia) swung for a match-high 23 kills, and in the process broke the UT career kills record, surpassing Dee Sance's 2,013 kills, as the No. 11 Texas volleyball team defeated Kansas, 3-1 (23-30, 30-16, 30-11, 30-25), on Wednesday night before 1,745 fans at Gregory Gym. Topic broke the record on her 11th kill of the evening, which came in the third game.
With the victory, Texas improved to 22-3 overall and 14-3 in Big 12 matches and continues to hold down second place in the conference. Kansas fell to 15-11 overall and 6-11 in league matches.
Senior Bethany Howden (Austin, Texas) added 14 kills, and sophomore Brandy Magee (Mission Veijo, Calif.) connected on 12 as Texas hit .328 for the match. The Longhorns limited the Jayhawks to a .132 hitting efficiency, including marks of .033, .000 and .025 in the final three games.
Kansas' Josi Lima had a team-high 12 kills, while Jana Correa had 10 for the Jayhawks.
"Kansas played well in the first game, but in the second game our defense really improved and our serving caught up," Texas head coach Jerritt Elliott said. "Mira started really slowly tonight, but in most cases, when she heats up like she did in the last three games, we'll have a chance to win. Bethany did a good job stepping up, playing well, as did Brandy. We really have great balance with all of our hitters and that continues to show.
"Mira wasn't really concerned about breaking Dee's record tonight, and I don't know if she even realized how big a deal it was. I don't think she has a full understanding of just how many great players have come through Texas over the years. She is a special, special player and I'm glad to see her finally make it to the top of the chart," Elliott continued.
"ALl these kills were a team effort, it isn't my record," Topic said of her record. "It's so nice to be part of a team like that because without my teammates I wouldn't have been able to acheive this."
Texas fell way behind in the first game, 20-9, before rallying and only falling by seven points. KU held the Horns to a .178 attack percentage, while hitting a scorching .457 themselves. However, in the second and third games, Texas rallied for .448 and .433 attack percentages and went ahead 2-1. The Longhorns cooled off slightly in the fourth game, dropping to .333 for the game, but the Jayhawks' 10 hitting errors helped give Texas the victory.
The Longhorns return to action on Sunday, Nov. 21, when they travel to Iowa State for an 11:30 a.m. match. The match is the first of three matches in seven days that includes a showdown at No. 3 Nebraska on Wednesday, Nov. 24, and the regular-season finale at home on Saturday, Nov. 27 at 6:30 p.m. against Texas Tech.
Topic and Howden, and former Texas star Kathy Hahn, will be honored in a pregame Senior Day ceremony prior to the Tech match. Additionally, a special guest will be present at the ceremony to honor Topic for her new Texas career kills record.
