Colorado
Texas
Volleyball Beats 'Horns in Four
November 05, 2002 | Volleyball
The University of Colorado volleyball team (12-12, 6-8 Big 12) beat the University of Texas (18-6, 9-15 Big 12) 30-20, 20-30, 37-35, 30-20 at Gregory Gym to get back on the winning track and settle for the season split with the Longhorns and grab their first win since Oct. 23.
"We really needed to get this win tonight," said Colorado assistant coach Jil Thomason, who is currently filling in for head coach Pi'i Aiu. Aiu returns to coach the team next week. He is currently attending his father's funeral services in Hawaii. "We were finally able to finish games tonight, which is something we've been struggling to do all season. It was nice to finally see what this team is actually capable of."
Junior middle blocker Monique Gerlach powered the Buffs for the 14th time this season as she led CU with a team-high 22 kills as she hit .447 with seven digs and three blocks. Gerlach has registered double-figure kill totals in 19 of the team's 24 contests.
Also leading the Buffaloes to victory were freshman right side Maragda Santillana, senior middle Meghan Barkman, and senior setter Elizabeth Gower. Santillana finished the night with a career-high 19 kills for the buffs as she hit .500 with three digs and four blocks. Barkman tallied 13 kills with six digs and five blocks, while Gower pocketed her second triple-double of the year with 11 kills, 51 assists, and 10 digs in the match. Gower is CU's all-time leader in career triple-doubles as she boasts 10 in her Colorado tenure.
Texas was fueled by sophomore sensation Mira Topic, who registered a season-high, match-high 31 kills for the Longhorns, while she totaled 15 digs and hit .393 in the match.
Colorado hit .321 on the night with nine team blocks, while Texas hit .278 with 12 total blocks.
The Buffs will now return to the comforts of home to host Iowa State on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. for Autograph Night at the Coors Events/Conference Center in Boulder before they hit the highway to face Missouri on Nov. 13 at 6 p.m.
