Texas Tech University Athletics
Volleyball Team to Depart for Alaska
September 07, 1999 | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 7, 1999
LUBBOCK, Texas - Texas Tech begins week No. 2 of the 1999 season in Fairbanks, Alaska for the Nonook Classic featuring Oregon State, Ball State and Alaska-Fairbanks. Originally the tournament had a championship and consolation match format but it was switched to round-robin play only.
Texas Tech completed its first week of play with a 5-1 record. The Red Raiders downed New Mexico State 3-0 on Wednesday and defeated SMU, North Carolina State and Wright State 3-0 before losing to Utah 3-0 in the 21st annual Four Points Classic Tournament in the Lubbock Municipal Coliseum this weekend. Tech concluded its weekend with a 15-1, 15-4, 15-5 thumping of UT-Pan American.
The next home match is in two weeks- Nebraska on Sept. 24. With the United Spirit Arena nearing completion, Texas Tech will play in various venues in Lubbock including the Civic Center, Coronado High School and the Coliseum. The new arena is scheduled for a probable Nov. 8 opening and the first Texas Tech volleyball game to played there is scheduled for Nov. 13 against Colorado.
NELSON TO FACE ALMA MATER
Texas Tech head coach Jeff Nelson will face his alma mater, Ball State in the third scheduled match in Fairbanks, Alaska this weekend. Nelson graduated from Ball State in 1986 and played volleyball for the Cardinal men's team. He has never faced Ball State.
GARBER NAMED MVP OF TOURNEY
Texas Tech?s Garber was named the Four Points Classic Most Valuable Player after finishing up a dominating tournament. The six-foot-three middle blocker concluded the four-match invite with a .447 hitting percentage (49-11-85) and led the tournament in kills (49), kills per game (4.08) and placed second in service aces (0.42 per game), hitting percentage (.447) and blocks per game (1.17 per game). Two other Texas Tech players were selected to the all tournament squad- freshman outside hitter Ann Romjue and sophomore setter Skydra Orzen.
ROMJUE, CUMBESS TURN IN RECORD PERFORMANCES
Freshman Ann Romjue and sophomore Yolanda Cumbess both turned in top all-time hitting performances for Texas Tech on the weekend. Romjue hit a career-high .667 (14-2-18) against UT-Pan American on Sunday, a mark that ranks 11th on the all-time school hitting chart. Cumbess turned in a career-high .692 (10-1-13) performance against N.C. State on Friday. That mark ranks ninth on the all-time chart. Cumbess' 10 kills and 13 attempts were both career-highs.
TECH DEFEATS UT-PAN AM 3-0...Red Raiders pour it on UT-Pan American in 15-1, 15-4, 15-5 Sunday victory
Texas Tech held UT-Pan American to only 16 kills and 10 points in three games as it defeated the Broncs 15-1, 15-4, 15-5 Sunday in the Lubbock Municipal Coliseum. The victory improves Texas Tech to 5-1 on the season and drops UT-Pan American to 2-3 overall.
Freshman outside hitter Ann Romjue led Texas Tech with a career-high 14 kills and 10 digs. She also hit a career-high .667 (14-2-18), a mark that ranks 11th on the all-time Texas Tech single match records for hitting percentage. Sophomore middle blocker Yolanda Cumbess added nine kills in 15 attempts, freshman outside hitter Jenny Donohoo contributed six kills in 17 attempts and junior middle blocker Janelle Jones finished with five kills in six attempts.
Texas Tech finished the match with a .359 hitting percentage (45-12-92) and held the Broncs to -.131 hitting (16-27-84). Tech hit .464 in game two and .333 in game three while holding UT-Pan American to sub-.000 hitting in all three games. The Red Raiders also outblocked UT-Pan American 4.5-1.0 as six-foot-seven junior Colleen Smith finished with four blocks.
Texas Tech will travel to Alaska for the Nonook Classic Tournament at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks on Wednesday. Texas Tech will play three matches against Alaska-Fairbanks, Ball State and Oregon State.
SUCCESSFUL SEASON BEGINNINGS
The 5-1 record to start off the 1999 season marks the fourth consecutive year that the Texas Tech volleyball program has begun with at least five wins its first six matches. The 1996 team started its season at 6-0, the 1997 team began at 6-0 and the 1998 team was 6-0.
UTAH WINS FOUR POINTS CLASSIC...Lori Garber selected classic Most Valuable Player, Tech finishes in second place
Utah defeated Texas Tech 17-15, 15-0, 15-12 to win the Four Points Classic volleyball tournament Saturday at the Lubbock Municipal Coliseum. Texas Tech?s Lori Garber was voted upon by coaches as the tournament?s Most Valuable Player.
Utah (4-1) finished its four-match classic with a perfect 4-0 record followed by runner-up Texas Tech at 3-1 and SMU at 2-2. Utah rallied from a 12-6 deficit to defeat Texas Tech 17-15 in game one of the title match. Utah then used that momentum to rally for a 15-0 win in game two. The Utes hit .647 (12-1-17) and held Tech to two kills in game two to register a 15-0 win. That was the first time Texas Tech had been shut out in a game in 161 consecutive matches dating back to September 16, 1994 in a match against Nebraska. No Jeff Nelson-coached Texas Tech team had ever been shut out in a game. Utah placed three players in double digit-kills including McKelle Stilson and Adrianne Bradley with 13 kills apiece followed by Alisa Geddes? 11 kills. Geddes also had a match-high 14 digs. Garber paced Texas Tech with 11 kills and a .348 hitting percentage.
Texas Tech?s Garber was named the Four Points Classic Most Valuable Player after finishing up a dominating tournament. The six-foot-three middle blocker concluded the four-match invite with a .447 hitting percentage (49-11-85) and led the tournament in kills (49), kills per game (4.08) and placed second in service aces (0.42 per game), hitting percentage (.447) and blocks per game (1.17 per game). Two other Texas Tech players were selected to the all tournament squad- freshman outside hitter Ann Romjue and sophomore setter Skydra Orzen.
Texas Tech concluded tournament action with a 4-1 overall record. The Red Raiders defeated Wright State in their first Saturday game 15-8, 15-10, 15-7 as Garber paced Tech with 12 kills, six blocks and a .550 hitting percentage. Romjue added nine kills and a match-high 12 digs while junior Colleen Smith pitched in eight kills.
Utah placed four players on the all tourney squad including Jen Snow-Richards, McKelle Stilson, Adrianne Bradley and setter Graciela Torres-Lopez while SMU had two players selected including Erin Pryor and Jenna Newsom.
FOUR POINTS CLASSIC RECORDS
Team Champion: Utah 4-0, Runner-Up: Texas Tech 3-1, Third Place: SMU 2-2, North Carolina State 1-3, Wright State 0-4.
FRIDAY'S RESULTS
Utah defeated SMU 15-12, 15-10, 15-7
N.C. State defeated Wright State 15-10, 16-14, 15-2
Texas Tech defeated SMU 15-5, 15-10, 15-8
Utah defeated Wright State 15-4, 15-12, 15-9
Texas Tech defeated N.C. State 15-7, 15-12, 15-10
SATURDAY'S RESULTS
SMU defeated 15-8, 15-9, 15-12
Utah defeated N.C. State 15-3, 13-15, 15-8, 15-4
Texas Tech defeated Wright State 15-8, 15-10, 15-7
SMU defeated N.C. State 17-15, 15-10, 15-8
Utah defeated Texas Tech 17-15, 15-0, 15-12
FOUR POINTS CLASSIC ALL TOURNAMENT TEAM
Most Valuable Player: Lori Garber, Texas Tech, All Tournament Team: Erin Pryor, SMU, Janna Newsom, SMU, Jen Snow-Richards, Utah, McKelle Stilson, Utah, Adrianne Bradley, Utah, Graciela Torres-Lopez, Utah, Ann Romjue, Texas Tech, Skydra Orzen, Texas Tech
PRESEASON NOTES
? Texas Tech volleyball has won 20+ matches the last four seasons.
? Texas Tech volleyball has appeared in the NCAA Tournament three of the last four seasons.
? Six-foot-seven outside hitter Colleen Smith, recently selected the Big 12 preaseason Newcomer of the Year is the tallest player to ever play at Texas Tech (possibly the tallest to ever play in the Big 12).
? Texas Tech volleyball has won eight of its last 11 pre-conference invitationals.
? Texas Tech head coach Jeff Nelson needs eight victories to reach the 100-total for his career. Nelson is 92-43 in four years at Texas Tech.
BIG 12 RELEASES COACHES' PICKS
Colleen Smith selected Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, Lori Garber, Courtney Putnam earn votes for all conference
DALLAS, Texas ? Texas Tech?s Colleen Smith was named the Big 12 Conference volleyball preseason Newcomer of the Year while seniors Lori Garber and Courtney Putnam both earned votes for the preseason all conference team in a vote of the league?s head coaches released Tuesday by the conference office. Nebraska is picked to win the 1999 Big 12 Conference volleyball championship, while the Huskers? Nancy Meendering is the preseason favorite for Player of the Year. Texas Tech was picked to finish sixth.
The defending Big 12 champion and national semifinalist Huskers received 10 (coaches weren?t allowed to vote for their own team) first-place votes. Texas A&M is picked to finish second, followed by Texas, winner of the 1997 conference title, in third. Colorado is the fourth-place choice, with Kansas State fifth and Texas Tech sixth. The top six teams all competed in the 1998 NCAA Tournament. Smith, a six-foot-seven transfer from Washington State, is a .213 career hitter. Garber was selected an All Region player after leading the Red Raiders in hitting percentage (.346) and averaging 3.51 kills and 1.20 blocks per game. Putnam owns school records for match kills (32) and match attempts (74). Last year she hit .239 with 3.32 kills and 2.28 digs per game.
Nebraska?s Nancy Meendering was named the preseason Player of the Year. A 6-1 junior outside hitter, Meendering was a first-team all-conference and AVCA All-American last season. In addition she was named MVP of the NCAA Tournament Pacific Regional. Joining Meendering on the preseason All-Big 12 team is Baylor?s Elisha Polk, Colorado?s Kelly Campbell, Texas? Erin Aldrich, and Texas A&M?s Amber Woolsey and Jenna Moscovic.
Nebraska?s Laura Pilakowski is the preseason pick for Freshman of the Year. The 6-1 outside hitter/middle blocker attended Columbus High School in Columbus, Neb.
BIG 12 PRESEASON COACHES POLL
1. Nebraska-100, 2. Texas A&M-91, 3. Texas-75, 4. Colorado-69, 5. Kansas State-64, 6. TEXAS TECH-61, 7. Baylor-45, 8. Oklahoma-36, 9. Kansas-27, 10. Missouri-26, 11. Iowa State-11 (Rank and points received)
PRESEASON VOLLEYBALL TEAM
First Team: Elisha Polk, Baylor, Kelly Campbell, Colorado, Nancy Meendering, Nebraska, Erin Aldrich, Texas, Jenna Moscovic, Texas A&M, Amber Woolsey, Texas A&M
Others Receiving Votes: Amanda Reves, Kansas, Dawn Cady, Kansas State, Disney Bronnenberg, Kansas State, Liz Wegner, Kansas State, Mandy Monson, Nebraska, Angie Oxley, Nebraska, Tonia Tauke, Nebraska, Summer Strickland, Texas A&M, Lori Garber, Texas Tech, Courtney Putnam, Texas Tech
Player of the Year: Nancy Meendering, Nebraska, OH, 6-1, Jr/2L, Hull, Iowa
Newcomer of the Year: Colleen Smith, Texas Tech, MB/OH, 6-7, Jr/TR, Albuquerque, N.M. (Washington State)
Freshman of the Year: Laura Pilakowski, Nebraska, OH/MB, 6-1, Fr/HS, Columbus, Neb. (Columbus HS)
TEXAS TECH STARTING LINEUPS
Skydra Orzen-6, Lori Garber-6, Colleen Smith-6, Ann Romjue-6, Jenny Donohoo-6, , Kate Jury-5, Janelle Jones-1.
