Volleyball Wraps-up Season in Austin
November 26, 2004 | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 26, 2004
LUBBOCK, Texas - The Texas Tech volleyball team will wrap-up its 2004 season with a trip to Austin, Texas, to take on the Texas Longhorns this Sat., Nov.27, at 7 p.m. The Red Raiders (10-15, 6-13 Big 12) are looking to end on a good note against the No.11 Longhorns (23-4, 15-4 Big 12), who are the second ranked-team the Raiders have faced in the last three matches.
The Red Raiders are looking at the same situation that faced them two weeks ago when they traveled to Manhattan to face the then ranked-No.20 Kansas State Wildcats. The Raiders were 0-6 against the Wildcats when they entered the match and now travel to Austin with the same record. A week ago Tech pulled off an upset in Manhattan to make it the first ranked opponent the Raiders have defeated all year, the first ranked opponent since 2002 and the first victory against the Wildcats in Ahearn Field House in school history.
The last time the Red and Black defeated the Longhorns in Gregory Gymnasium was in 2000 when the Red Raiders took both meetings between the two teams that year. Tech once again will look to set a record to finish off the season, as the win over the Longhorns will be the highest upset over a ranked opponent in school history.
The Red Raiders are entering the match after falling to the Kansas Jayhawks on Wednesday 3-0. Tech was unable to get its offense in a groove as the Red Raiders committed 28 errors from the front row. Senior Kelly Johnson led the effort with 17 kills, while Desiree Batista had her fifth-straight 15 or more digs per-match with 18. Senior Laura Grote dished out 46 assists in the losing effort.
On the season the Red Raiders are led by Johnson who averages 4.95 kills per-game, while junior Desiree Batista leads the defensive effort for the Red and Black with 4.07 digs per-game. Senior Laura Grote commands the offense with 10.34 assists per-game, while Batista also leads the Red Raiders from the service line with .51 aces per-game in conference play, 50 aces on the season.
The Longhorns enter the match after falling to the No.2 Nebraska Cornhuskers 3-0. Texas' Mira Topic was off her game in the match hitting only six kills, while tallying 8 errors on the night.
Topic leads the Longhorns with 5.82 kills per-game, followed by Bethany Howden with 3.91. UT"s defense is put on the shoulders of Allyson Jennings and Topic with 3.58 and 3.21 digs per-game, respectively.
In the two team's first meeting in Lubbock the Longhorns used a balance attack of offense and defense to take the match 3-0 over the Red Raiders.
Tech was unable to overcome Texas' offense, which posted 58 kills while picking up 62 digs in the winning effort. Texas also used the trio of Topic, Howden and Brandy Magee with double digit kills in the contest to overcome the Raiders overall 38 team kills. Johnson led the offensive effort for the Red Raiders with 13 kills on the night.
Tech will face the Texas Longhorns this Saturday for the team's final regular season match of the year. The match is set for a 7 p.m. start in Austin at Gregory Gymnasium.
