The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
European tour 2004: Volleyball closes out trip with 5-0 record
05.29.2004 | Volleyball
DACHAU, Germany -- For the second time in the last three matches, three Longhorns - juniors Bethany Howden (Austin, Texas) and Mira Topic (Kastela Kambelovac, Croatia) and freshman Brandy Magee (Mission Viejo, Calif.) - each recorded double-figure kills as the Texas volleyball team closed out its European Tour with a 3-0 (25-19, 25-18, 25-22) victory over a Bavarian All-Star team on Saturday afternoon.
Howden had a team-high 13 kills, while Topic and Magee each added 10 apiece. Magee also had a strong night on the defensive side of the net, collecting five blocks (one solo and four block assists).
With the victory, the Horns finished out their European Tour with a perfect 5-0 record against its foreign competition during the last 10 days.
"Tonight we had specific things we wanted to work on - several formations, new rotations, newer systems - so we were happy to see the extra playing time pay off," Texas head coach Jerritt Elliott said. "Our middle blockers have played very well this trip and both of their performances today were examples of this. Both Bethany and Brandy have had a great tour and I'm excited to see them working together this fall in the middle."
In the first game, UT built a 12-5 lead and held onto the advantage to take the first set. Magee and freshman Jessica Curtis (Marietta, Ga.) combined for three blocks in the first 12 points, while Curtis also recorded two kills in the spurt.
Texas pulled ahead in the second game, 8-5, before the Bavarian team snuck within two points at 14-12. The Horns closed out the game with a 7-1 run that including three aces by the team and back-to-back game-winning aces by Topic.
Again in the third game, Texas pulled ahead but saw its hosts come back to challenge for the game at 23-22. A solo block by freshman setter Jenny Andrew (Kingwood, Texas) and a rebound kill by Magee closed out the game and the match for the Longhorns.
Andrew collected 35 assists in the match, while first-semester freshman Sarah Holloway (Aurora, Colo.) had a team-high five digs. Topic also added four aces in the victory.
Texas will return stateside on Sunday, May 30 after visiting Italy (Rome, Comunanza, Pesaro, Venice), Austria (Innsbruck) and Germany (Munich).
