Piece of Cake

Talita Milasauskas compares playing on the volleyball team at the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College to making a cake.

“I see our team as everyone having a detail or a part in helping us win,” said Milasauskas, who leads UTB-TSC this season with a school-record 615 kills and 227 blocks. She also led the Red River Athletic Conference in aces (84) and blocks.

“It’s just like making a cake,” she added. “You have the ingredients there and you have to put them together. For us, every single player has a point or strength (to add). It makes us come together all the time, even if we’re ahead or we’re behind. You’re there (on the court), and each one has to do a good job so we can make a good cake.”

The 6-foot-2 freshman middle blocker from Sao Paulo, Brazil, is one of the major reasons the Scorpions (33-7) are advancing to this week’s NAIA National Tournament in Columbia, Mo. UTB-TSC opens the tournament at 11:15 a.m. Wednesday with a pool-play match against Lewis-Clark State College of Idaho (25-6).

Earlier this month, the Scorpions won the RRAC Tournament in Fort Worth and Milasauskas was named the conference’s Player and Freshman of the Year. She then received the same honors after UTB-TSC won the Region VI Tournament in Lubbock two weeks ago to qualify for nationals.

Milasauskas also set a school single-match record with 31 kills against Trinity University on Oct. 26 and has won RRAC Player of the Week awards multiple times over the course of the season.

“Talita’s just been outstanding,” UTB-TSC coach Marcus Young said. “I think she’s a very dominating player anywhere we go. She puts up a huge block and just pounds that ball down the middle.

“Our opponents have to plan to deal with her,” he added. “Just by having her there (in the middle) opens up things on the outside and lets our other hitters get involved because our opponents are focusing on Talita.”

Last spring, Milasauskas transferred to UTB-TSC with four years of eligibility. She said it was a tough experience not being able to play competitively last year.

She’s certainly making up for lost time on the court now.

“When I came over here, the purpose, besides studying, was to play volleyball,” Milasauskas said. “When I got here, I told them that I would try my best to do a good job. I said, ‘Whatever I can do to help this team, I’ll do it.’ I wish only the best for my team.”