Next Up For Tech Volleyball; Oklahoma in Norman
November 09, 2004 | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 9, 2004
LUBBOCK, Texas - The Texas Tech women's volleyball team will hit the road against the Oklahoma Sooners for a 7 p.m. match up in Norman, Okla., on Wed., Nov.10. The Red Raiders are looking for a clean sweep this season against the Sooners who they beat in their Big 12 opener earlier this season 3-1.
Tech (8-13, 4-11 Big 12) will face the Sooners (10-13, 2-12 Big 12) who are coming off a loss to the Kansas Jayhawks in Lawrence. Tech is currently on a two-game losing streak and looks to end the streak this week against the Sooners.
Tech is coming off a heart-breaking loss to the Missouri Tigers at home in a 3-1 match that Tech just missed taking to five after a 30-28 loss in the fourth game. The Red Raiders came out strong in the match against Missouri hitting a .357 attack percentage and a game one 30-27 win.
Tech however was unable to keep the intensity going, dropping the next three games to the Tigers with an offense that struggled against MU's elevated defense. Tech was led by senior Kelly Johnson with 24 kills, followed by sophomore Kiley Lyons and Amy Charlebois with 14 and 13 kills, respectively. Senior Laura Grote dished out 53 assists in the effort, while the defensive load for the Red Raiders was carried on the shoulders of junior Desiree Batista with 26 digs on the night.
On the season Johnson has continued to wear the offensive shoes for the team posting 4.78 kills per-game in conference play. Johnson currently holds the second-place spot in the conference in kills per-game behind Texas' Mira Topic. Lyons follows the senior with 2.62 kills per-game, while Batista tallies 3.78 digs on the defensive end ranking her ninth in the Big 12 in the category. Junior Brianna Florus again makes her mark on the conference ranking tenth in blocks per-game with 1.19.
Oklahoma's recent loss against the Jayhawks came at the hands of a sweep in Lawrence, Kan. Joanna Schmidt leads the Sooners' offense with 4.10 kills and 2.80 digs per-game in league play. The defensive responsibility for OU falls to Stephanie Tengram who picks up 3.53 digs per-game. Currently the Sooners are on a three-game losing streak that began against the then No.10 Texas Longhorns. Oklahoma has only won one game in three matches, with that game coming against the Texas A&M Aggies in a 3-1 loss at home.
In Tech's Big 12 opener against the Sooners, Tech came out strong winning the first two games of the match with scores of 30-27, 30-26. The Sooners then pushed in the third game to down the Red Raiders 30-21 with a .225 hitting efficiency. Tech however stayed strong to close out the match with a 30-26 victory in the fourth to claim its first Big 12 win of the season. Tech out hit the Sooners with 67 to 52 total team kills, while claiming a one-dig edge over OU with 74 digs to Oklahoma's 73.
The one area in which the Red Raiders have improved on since beginning the season is blocking, a category the Sooners dominated in their first meeting. The Sooners were able to pressure the Red Raiders at home with a blocking unit that posted 17.0 team blocks versus Tech's 9.0.
Tech leads the overall series 34-12, with Tech losing only one match to the Sooners in the last 13. Tech's loss last year against Oklahoma broke an 11-match win streak for the Red Raiders that dated back to 1998.
Tech enters the match up this Wednesday 5-1 against the Sooners in Norman. Last year's loss also broke Tech's record of 11-straight match sweeps against the Sooners that carried over six years. Oklahoma has only claimed three game from Tech in 13 matches.
The two team's second and final regular season match up is set to begin at 7 p.m. at the McCasland Field House. Tech will return home against the Iowa State Cyclones this Saturday for a 7 p.m. match up at the United Spirit Arena.
