Texas Tech University Athletics
Preview: Red Raider Volleyball Hosts Texas Tech Invitational
September 01, 2011 | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 1, 2011
Match Notes | Promotions
LUBBOCK, Texas - Texas Tech will look to follow up its solid start to its season this weekend when the Red Raiders battle Central Arkansas, Northwestern State and Morehead State on Friday and Saturday as part of the Texas Tech Invitational at the United Spirit Arena.
| TOURNAMENT INFORMATION | |
| Dates | Friday, September 2 - Saturday, September 3, 2011 |
| Location | Lubbock, Texas (United Spirit Arena) |
| Tournament Schedule | Friday, Sept. 2 Central Arkansas vs. UNLV - 10 a.m. | Live Stats Morehead State vs. Northwestern State - Noon | Texas Tech vs. Central Arkansas - 2 p.m. | Live Stats | Live Video UNLV vs. Morehead State - 4 p.m. | Live Stats Texas Tech vs. Northwestern State - 6 p.m. | Live Stats | Live Video Saturday, Sept. 3 |
| Radio | KTXT 88.1 FM (Lubbock) |
| On The Web | Live video and audio available through RaiderVision All-Access (texastech.com) |
FLORA EARNS FIRST VICTORY AT TEXAS TECH
While the Don Flora era at Texas Tech may not have started just as he might have dreamed, the first-year head coach earned his first career victory last Saturday morning against UConn. The win was No. 270 of Flora's career and helped overcome a season-opening loss to TCU the night before. The Red Raiders followed up the UConn victory by defeating Grambling State later Saturday afternoon in another 3-0 sweep. Of the eight head coaches in school history, Flora joined Donna Martin (1985-88) and Nancy Todd (2003-08) as the only three coaches to win two of their first three matches on the Tech bench.
THE SERIES
Texas Tech's matches against all three schools this weekend will be the first in school history.
RED RAIDERS IN HOME TOURNAMENTS
The Texas Tech Invitational will mark the first home tournament held in Lubbock since the 2008 season. The Red Raiders, who have traditionally hosted a tournament annually, are 32-9 during the Big 12 era in home tournaments at the United Spirit Arena.
NOTABLES
• Texas Tech's 2-1 start to its season was the school's best since 2008 when the Red Raiders went a perfect 3-0 at the North Texas Tournament.
• The Red Raiders played in front of 1,706 fans during the season opener at TCU, which was the school's second-largest crowd in program history.
• Texas Tech had not previously had three players with double-digit kills over the first two matches of a season since 2007. Amanda Dowdy, Miara Cave, and Breeann David all did so with the Red Raiders as the trio accounted for over 80 percent of Tech's kills against TCU and UConn.
• Prior to last weekend, Texas Tech had not won two-consecutive matches by a 3-0 sweep since defeating Texas State and Texas-Pan American in a doubleheder on Sept. 2, 2006.
• Texas Tech had not won two-consecutive matches since the Red Raiders began the 2008 season with three-straight wins.
• Aubree Piper set a new career high against TCU with seven block assists in the match, surpassing her previous high of five set against Kansas on Oct. 5, 2010.
• Texas Tech's match against UConn marked its first against a Big East opponent since falling to Syracuse on Sept. 8, 2007.
• Amanda Dowdy's streak of 27-straight matches where she led the team in kills was snapped against Grambling State when Sam Podraza and Mikia Mills recorded eight kills each to pace the Red Raiders. Dowdy was pulled from the match following the first set against the Tigers.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Red Raiders return to the road next week for the start of an eight-match roadtrip, beginning Tuesday evening at Texas-Pan American. Tech will face the Broncs at 6 p.m. in the UTPA Fieldhouse.
DOWDY, CAVE NAMED TO ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Texas Tech senior Amanda Dowdy and junior Miara Cave were both named to the TCU Invitational All-Tournament team after leading the Red Raiders to a second-place showing last weekend.
MORE BALANCE, BETTER RESULTS
If there was one consistent variable in Tech's opening weekend, it would be that the Red Raiders have more balance on offense. The trio of Amanda Dowdy, Miara Cave, and Breeann David all had at least 10 kills each in both of the first two matches. In the process, Tech's hitting percentage rose to a .256 average over three matches, including a .388 mark against UConn, the Red Raiders' highest attacking percentage since defeating South Florida in three sets on Sept. 9, 2006.
DAVID JOINS ELITE COMPANY
Since the Red Raiders joined the Big 12 in 1996, no Tech freshman has begun her career with double-digit kill figures in back-to-back matches. That is until Breeann David. The Denver City product finished with 11 kills against TCU and followed with 14 the following day against UConn. David finished with a .500 hitting percentage against UConn as she was 14-for-24 on the attack en route to posting Tech's highest individual hitting percentage since Barbara Conceicao recorded a .526 average on Sept. 11, 2009 against Gonzaga.
CAVE ACCURATE ON THE ATTACK
After a spring and fall filled with high expectations, Miara Cave lived up to them through one weekend as the junior was third on the team in kills while posting a team-high .453 hitting percentage in the process. Cave finished with 30 kills on the weekend as she tied her career high with 15 kills against TCU.
FRESHMAN GET VALUABLE TIME IN FORT WORTH
One thing Don Flora wanted to see while at TCU was how his young team of mainly freshmen and sophomores would respond in a competitive atmosphere. After Tech easily defeated Grambling State in the opening set, Flora went with a lineup to start the second frame that consisted of all freshmen. Tory Vaughan was the only Red Raider junior or senior to see action over the match's final two sets.
VAUGHAN MATCHES CAREER HIGH
Tory Vaughan made a successful return to the libero position at TCU as the junior matched her career high of 13 digs against both the host Horned Frogs and UConn. Vaughan played sparingly in the finale against Grambling State as the Red Raiders went with a younger lineup over the match's final two sets.
