The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
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Kansas
No. 5 Volleyball tops Kansas, 3-0
09.16.2006 | Volleyball
LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Sophomore middle blocker Lauren Paolini posted 13 kills and a .550 attack mark to pace No. 5 Texas to a 3-0 (30-18, 30-18, 30-18) victory over Kansas, Saturday night at the Horejsi Family Athletics Center. On the night, the Longhorns posted a season-high .458 team hitting percentage and saw four players record double-digit kill totals.
In game one Texas (7-2, 2-0 Big 12) traded points with Kansas (7-4, 0-2 Big 12) early on, before the Horns broke the game open at the 11-11 mark, putting together a 7-0 run, highlighted by four Engle kills. The freshman outside hitter started the rally with three consecutive kills and combined on a block assist with Lauren Paolini to close out the run with Texas on top 18-11. In Texas' 30-18 game one win Engle and senior outside hitter Dariam Acevedo tallied seven kills apiece and hit .583 and .500 respectively.
Texas used four runs of four points or more in game two, cruising to a 30-18 victory in the second stanza. The Longhorns used an early 4-0 run paced by a pair of Acevedo points that pushed the UT edge to 11-7, and widened the margin with a 5-0 run headlined by three Destinee Hooker kills. Engle capped off the run with her only kill of the game, giving Texas a 17-10 edge. Two more 4-0 Texas runs paced by three of Paolini's six game-two kills pushed the Horns out to a 28-15 lead, and Hooker's fifth kill of the game closed the door on the Jayhawks 30-18.
Paolini led the Longhorns again in game three, posting five kills in the game as Texas recorded its third straight 30-18 victory. The Horns started the game on a 6-0 run and they would never look back, as Paolini recorded two kills and two block assists in the game's opening run and totaled five kills for the game. Texas used a 4-0 run at the 14-6 mark to push the margin to its widest gap at 11 points. The Jayhawks traded points with the Longhorns down the stretch, but the damage had already been done as junior middle blocker Leticia Armstrong finished the match off with her third kill of the game.
The Horns had four players finish with double figure kill totals, with Paolini leading the way with 13 kills on .550 hitting and Engle and Acevedo finishing with 11 kills apiece. Acevedo has now posted 10 kills or more in each of Texas' nine contests. Hooker joined in with 10 kills and a .625 attack mark, while junior setter Michelle Moriarty dished out 43 assists and tallied nine digs for the match.
Texas returns to action Wednesday, Sept. 20 when they play host to Big 12 Conference foe Colorado at Gregory Gym. First serve is set for 6:30 p.m.
