Texas Tech University Athletics
Volleyball Opens Conference Action Against Missouri
September 17, 2001 | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 17, 2001
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TEXAS TECH PREPARES FOR CONFERENCE OPENER
Texas Tech will kick-off Big 12 Conference action this week when the squad travels to Columbia, Mo. for a 7 p.m. match with the Tigers in the Hearnes Center on Wednesday. Texas Tech was orginally scheduled to open conference play against Texas and then travel to Nebraska on Saturday but those matches were postponed due to the national tragedies on the East Coast.
Texas Tech will be looking for its first conference-opening win since 1997 when the Red Raiders beat Missouri 3-0. Texas Tech fell to Baylor in five games last year in the first Big 12 game of the season for the Raiders.
SCOUTING MISSOURI
The Missouri Tigers were one of the big turn-around stories of 2000 as the Tigers finished the year with a 24-7 overall record and made their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Missouri was just 10-21 overall in 1999 and was 4-16 in the Big 12 Conference that season.
Missouri currently sits at a perfect 7-0 on the season having swept two non-conference tournaments. The Tigers are led by Lisa Morris who has 94 kills and 50 digs thus far on the year. Missouri is coached by Susan and Wayne Kreklow.
SCOUTING KANSAS STATE
The Kansas State Wildcats are currently ranked 22nd by the latest edition of the AVCA Coaches Poll. The Wildcats are 4-2 overall with the two losses coming to teams ranked in the Top-10 nationally. Kansas State advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament last season after finishing tied for second place with Texas A&M in the Big 12.
The Wildcats underwent a head coaching change at the start of the season when Jim McLaughlin announced he was taking the job at Washington State. The Wildcats have an interim head coach in Susie Fritz who previously served the team as an assistant coach.
Kansas State is led by Liz Wegner who has 117 kills and 68 digs. Setter Laura Downey paces the offense with 13.08 assists per game.
ORZEN GRABS MVP HONORS
Senior setter Skydra Orzen went home with most valuable player honors this weekend after a dazzling performance in the Four Points Sheraton/Red Raider Classic.
Orzen tallied 225 assists, 39 digs and 19 kills over the course of three matches to give her the MVP distinction. Orzen's 225 assists in four matches gave her an impressive 15.00 assists per-game average.
Orzen put up her first career triple double against Ohio as she posted 10 kills, 67 assists and 11 digs.
Texas Tech had three other players named to the all-tournament team in Yolanda Cumbess, Angela Mooney and Jessy Herrera (Defensive Specialist Award). The all-tournament distinction was the second for Yolanda Cumbess as she earned the same honors at the Utah Classic.
ERRORS CONTINUE TO PLAGUE TECH
Although Texas Tech is 6-2 on the year, the Red Raiders have not adjusted yet to the new rally scoring format that was implemented this season. Texas Tech continues to struggle with errors as Tech has committed 239 through eight matches while opponents have committed just 187.
The Red Raiders are averaging 30 errors a match while opponents are averaging 23. This seven error difference has been providing plenty of sleepless nights for Tech head coach Jeff Nelson as his team is hitting just .203.
Tech committed at least 30 errors in every match this weekend but one (SFA-29) en route to 129 total errors for the entire tournament.
Senior Heather Hughes-Justice leads the squad with 55 errors while junior Melissa McGehee is close behind with 54.
LAST YEAR AGAINST MISSOURI/K-STATE
Texas Tech went 1-1 last season against both Missouri and Kansas State. The Red Raiders beat both schools at home but fell victim each time on the road. Tech beat Mizzouri in five-games in Lubbock on Sept. 27th and was swept by the Tigers in Columbia on Nov. 2nd. Texas Tech dropped Kansas State in five-games at the USA on Sept. 20th and then fell in five-games in Manhattan on Oct. 28th.
MATCHES TO BE RESCHEDULED
Texas Tech athletic officials will work closely with the three schools to schedule dates to make-up the matches that were postponed this past week.. Season ticket holders can use their original tickets for entrance to the previously scheduled home matches when they are rescheduled.
EYEING THE RECORD BOOKS
Senior outside hitter Heather Hughes-Justice is once again on the verge of setting a new Texas Tech service ace record. Last season, Hughes-Justice set a single-season record for service aces with 75. She needs just two more aces to become the career record holder at Texas Tech. The current career leader is Cristine Martin who tallied 165 service aces between 1993 and 1997.
Thanks to a 277-assist performance by senior setter Skydra Orzen this past week, she is now in third place on the career assist list at Tech. She needs just 43 more assists to move into second place.
