Texas Tech University Athletics
Big Orange Tournament Time for Red Raiders Volleyball
September 06, 2007 | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 6, 2007
LUBBOCK, Texas -
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Big Orange Tournament Time Coming off a second-place finish at the Red Raider Roundup, Texas Tech heads to New York for the Big Orange tournament hosted by Syracuse University. The Red Raiders will kick the action off with a showdown with Fordham at 3:30 CST. Saturday Tech will face Princeton at 9:30 a.m., before taking on the Orange in a 6:30 p.m. nightcap. The tournament will mark Tech's final games before starting Big 12 play Sept. 12.
Last Time Out Sept. 1, 2007 SMU took advantage of a weary TTU team and out hit the Red Raiders to win the last match of the Round Up 3-1 (26-30, 30-22, 30-36 and 26-30) and keep their undefeated 6-0 record. With the loss, Tech finished in the tournament with a second-place finish and dropped to 4-2 on the season.
Roundup Wrap Up TTU finished its own tournament with a 2-1 record after beating Villanova and Lamar each in five games and losing to an undefeated SMU team in four games.
Seniors Amy Gandy and Emily Ziegler and sophomore Jenn Harrell all received all-tournament honors. Gandy was named to the all-tournament team after recording 38 kills (2.71 kpg), 11 blocks (.79 bpg) and 32 digs (2.29 dpg) over the three matches. Ziegler was named the outstanding setter after recording a double-double in each of Tech's matches. She registered a total of 140 assists (10.21 apg), 29 kills (2.07 kpg), 23 digs (1.64 dpg) and seven aces. Included in that was a career-high 12 kills on .733 hitting, the best single-match attack percentage in the Big 12. Harrell was selected as the outstanding libero after registering 56 digs (4.00 dpg), including a career-high 26 digs against SMU, during the weekend.
Health Front Good Despite facing a physically and mentally demanding two-week stretch, Tech is completely healthy and rested heading to N.Y.. During the first two weeks of the season, the team has traveled to Las Vegas for a tournament, started classes and played 14 games in two days.
Scouting the Opposition Syracuse enters this weekend with a 4-4 record after a 3-0 win over Albany on Monday. The Orange boast an undefeated 2-0 record at home but are just 2-2 away from from the Manley Fieldhouse. SU is coached by Jing Pu in his 13th season at the helm of the Orange. Top players are defensive specialist Joscie Kaup and outside hitter Cheryl Cobbina. Kaup is the reigning Big East Player of the Week.
Fordham brings a 5-4 season record into this weekend. The Rams are coming off a 2-2 finish at the Western New York Invitational last week, in which they beat Niagra and Canisius and fell to South Florida and Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Fordham is led by freshman middle hitter Christi Griffiths and coached by Peter Volkert.
Princeton will see its first action of the 2007 this weekend when they face Syracuse in the Friday nightcap of the tournament. The Tigers return all seven starters and 12 letterwinners off last year's team that finished 21-3. They are coached by Glenn Nelson in his 26th season.
