Thursday, November 6, 2008
Perhaps Colorado should have paid attention to Karina Garlington a little more.
The sophomore outside hitter from Denver spurned her home-state school once again. This time she led all players with 20 kills as Kansas swept a Big 12 opponent for the first time all season, beating Colorado 3-0 (25-13, 30-28, 25-17).
The Kansas volleyball team celebrates its 3-0 sweep of Colorado Wednesday night at the Horejsi Family Athletics Facility.
“I know a lot of the girls on that team and every time we go over there, their whole crowd screams ‘traitor’ at me,” Garlington said. “Its just fuel for my fire.”
Garlington had posted then-career highs of 18 and 24 during her last two matches against the Buffaloes, last year. While 20 isn’t a new career high, it is plenty considering the Jayhawks played in their first three-set match victory since September.
“We moved her up and down the net a little bit,” coach Ray Bechard said of Garlington’s success. “She was in the middle, kind of in the left and that was by plan.”
Kansas had the opportunity for the sweep after a critical match-changing set two. The Jayhawks had set point seven times before a Buffalo error won the match for Kansas. There were 15 lead changes in the second set, five of them coming after the Jayhawks took a 24-23 lead.
“The key was set two, holding on to that set.” Bechard said. “The whole complexion of the match changes if we don’t hold on to that.”
Garlington’s seven kills in the set helped keep the Jayhawks lead safe for a majority of the match until two straight kills from Colorado’s Lauren Schaefer tied the match at 24.
As the match continued to go past the usual 25-point limit, Bechard ran out of substitutions as different Jayhawks saw different places of the court for the first time. Sophomore outside hitter Jenna Kaiser and junior outside hitter Paige Mazour served for the first time all season.
“You can’t train for situations like that,” Garlington said. “That was just one you had to gut wrench it out and make it happen.”
The finish helped keep the momentum on Kansas’ side. A seesaw beginning to set three saw Kansas prevail in the final points yet again. The Jayhawks closed out the match on a 6-0 run.
“We really pushed it at the end and stepped it up, and that was good to see at the right time,” Bechard said. “We were good in end game in set two and three both.”
Equally impressive was Kansas’ play for the entirety of set one. In one of the best sets the Jayhawks have played all season, Kansas dominated from the start.
“I think we went into this match with a clear mind, and that’s why we did so well,” senior middle blocker Natalie Uhart said.
Garlington once again led the charge with five kills in the set as Kansas hit .400 compared with Colorado’s .103 hitting percentage.
It was an all around complete performance for Kansas. The Jayhawks hit .308 as a team while holding Colorado to a bleak .117.
“We were in the locker room and we were like ‘3-0!’,” Uhart said. “I said. ‘Yes we didn’t have to go to five. I feel like I’m 12 years old because I have a lot of energy.’ So it was a good one. I’m happy.”
— - Edited by Becka Cremer
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