Texas Tech University Athletics
Spring Tournament Concludes
April 16, 2011 | Women's Volleyball
April 16, 2011
LUBBOCK, Texas - Mixing a good blend of offense with better serving and ball control, Texas Tech concluded its first spring competition season under first-year head coach Don Flora.
Throughout the busy day the Red Raiders faced Wayland Baptist, Angelo State, New Mexico State University and West Texas A&M as four courts were utilized for the all-day event. Each match for Tech was a two-set affair, whether the teams split or not. Results for Tech were as follows:
Tech, 25, Wayland Baptist, 10
Tech, 25, Wayland Baptist, 13
Tech, 21, Angelo State, 25
Tech, 25, Angelo State, 21
Tech, 25, NMSU, 22
Tech, 25, NMSU, 17
Tech, 19, WTAMU, 25
Tech, 25, WTAMU, 17
The story for the spring, in which competitions are primarily exhibitions with final results and statistics not counting toward any team or individual records, continues to be the change in emphasis on which the Red Raiders focus.
In the vernacular of Flora and his assistant coaches, Jojit Coronel and Beth Falls, it's important for the team to learn to extend plays and to transition the game with more skill. "Next ball" becomes a frequent cry from the bench, encouraging players to minimize errors caused by forcing an attack where one isn't feasible. There is a similar focus on recognizing where strengths can be extended and weaknesses exploited.
For example, in the morning match versus Wayland any of Tech's three setters, Karlyn Meyers, Brandy Huskey or Nicole Hragyil found success from a middle attack from offensive players Alexxa Roberts, Dravon Rangel or Amanda Dowdy, because of the size and quickness advantage the Red Raiders had. But, that same opportunity was not present against the Rambelles whose middle play was up to the task. After faltering in the first set the squad rebounded with a more effective outside attack and with a much more potent blocking game.
The pair of sets versus New Mexico State were the most efficient and error free consecutive frames of the weekend for Texas Tech. Not only was the team passing well, led by the play of libero Tory Vaughan, the serving game improved so that Tech had more realistic chances to run a play. Vaughan, Hragyil and Meyers each stepped up their serving games on the afternoon to pace Tech to several mini-runs. Additionally, blocking up front by Miara Cave and Sheridan Burgess helped Tech stop the Aggies' attack.
A bit of an emotional let-down and loss of focus seemed to be present in the final match with West Texas A&M, but again, Flora used the experience as an opportunity to emphasize how much of the sport of volleyball is determined by a team's ability to control and minimize its own errors. Often in the final set of competition the coaching staff stressed a need for offensive players to temper their desire to pound the ball with a realistic chance to end a point.
"If we minimize the errors we cause ourselves by being out of position and trying to do too much and we can extend plays until we can land a kill, we put ourselves in the best situation to score points," he said during one timeout. "We have to learn to make smarter decisions."
Official practices conclude over the next week as the team winds down the spring season and prepares for final examinations.
Tech begins its official 2011 campaign at the end of August and will host a non-conference tournament beginning on Sept. 2 as the first chance fans will have to see the new squad at home.
