Texas Tech University Athletics
Tech Volleyball Travels to Waco To Face Baylor
September 30, 2014 | Women's Volleyball
Lauren Douglass and the Texas Tech volleyball team will look to improve to 14-1 as they face Baylor on Wednesday night, in Waco.
LUBBOCK, Texas -- Texas Tech volleyball will travel to Waco, Texas, on Wednesday for its first road conference game of 2014, as the Red Raiders face Baylor, at 7 p.m., at the Ferrell Center.
This will be the 76th matchup between Tech and Baylor, with the Red Raiders leading the all-time series, 49-26. However, Baylor has won 17 of the last 18 meetings, with Tech's lone win coming in a five-set affair, in Lubbock, in 2011.
Baylor finished its non-conference slate with a record of 10-4. Tech and Baylor have produced similar results against common opponents. Both the Red Raiders and Bears have defeated Texas State, Abilene Christian and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in 2014.
Baylor picked up its first win in a conference opener on the road since 1997, as the Bears took down Kansas State in five sets, in Manhattan.
The Red Raiders tasted defeat for the first time in 2014 on Saturday, falling to West Virginia, 3-1. Tech dropped the first two sets before dominating the third, and had a 14-8 lead in the fourth set, before eventually falling, 25-22.
Texas Tech notched its first win in a conference opener since 2007, defeating TCU in four sets, behind Breeann David's career high-matching 23 kills, last Wednesday.
Texas Tech picked up two Big 12 weekly awards last week, as Rachel Brummitt's Big 12 four-set record 39 digs against Air Force propelled her to be named the Defensive Player of the Week, and Lauren Douglass, the conference's leader in hitting percentage at the time, recorded a career-high 17 kills against Weber State on her way to being named Big 12 Co-Rookie of the Week.
Who's Got Next?
Texas Tech will return home for conference game No. 4, as the Red Raiders host Kansas State, this Saturday, Oct. 4. First serve is set for 3 p.m., at the United Supermarkets Arena.
Ace In The Hole
Senior All-American Rachel Brummitt is not only a force to be reckoned with on the serve receive, she can do damage from the service line herself. Her 25 service aces rank third in the Big 12 and 24th nationally.
Starting Fast
Texas Tech volleyball had a historic start to 2014, winning its first 13 games. The Red Raiders have not started 13-0 since 1996, when they began the season 15-0. Texas Tech's best start in school history is a 16-0 beginning to the 1976 season, a year in which Tech also put together its longest winning streak in school history, 17 games.
Tech's 13-game winning streak was only the eighth double-digit winning streak in school history, and this marked the fifth time such a streak has begun the season. 13-0 was Tech's third-best start in school history.
In The Conference Room
Through four weeks of play, Texas Tech leads the Big 12 in assists per set (13.38), digs per set (16.75) and kills per set (14.04). Individually, Lauren Douglass ranks sixth in the Big 12 in hitting percentage (.358), and Rachel Brummitt leads the conference in digs per set (5.25), and ranks third in service aces (25).
A Helping Hand
Texas Tech's top-20 national ranking in assists has a lot to do with the team's depth at setter. Marguerite Grubb ranks seventh in the conference at 10.18 assists per set. Emily Ruetter just misses the games played requirement to appear on the conference stat sheets, but her 217 assists in 22 sets (9.86) would rank eighth in the conference.
Leading Ladies
The Red Raiders have made their way onto this week's edition of the 2014 NCAA stat rankings. Here is a breakdown of where you can find Tech on the national lists (top 40 only, through Sept. 29):
Tech In the NCAA Rankings| 18. | Rachel Brummitt | Digs Per Set | 5.25 |
| 24. | Rachel Brummitt | Service Aces | 25 |
| 16. | Texas Tech | Assists Per Set (Team) | 13.38 |
| 22. | Texas Tech | Digs Per Set (Team) | 16.75 |
| 22. | Texas Tech | Opponent Hitting Percentage (Team) | .145 |
| 24. | Texas Tech | Kills Per Set (Team) | 14.04 |
Gettin' Diggy With It
In only one season, Rachel Brummitt went from a relatively unknown transfer to a school record holder and one of the top liberos in the Big 12. She has already broken her own school and conference records with a 39-dig performance in four sets against Air Force. She has been tabbed as Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week twice this season. Her five weekly defensive awards over her career rank fifth in Big 12 history. She only needs 192 digs to become the school's all-time leader, after already logging 278 this season.
TTU All-Time Dig Leaders
1. Lisa Hilgers (1995-98) 1,583
2. Ann Romjue (1999-02) 1,520
3. Rachel Brummitt (2012-Pres.) 1,392
4. Cristine Martin (1993-97) 1,323
5. Melissa McGehee (1999-02) 1,270
6. Jenn Goehry (2006-09) 1,229
7. Skydra Orzen (1998-01) 1,221
8. Chris Martin (1988-91) 1,152
9. Sheila Soloman (1987-90) 1,139
10. Sabrina Zenon (1988-91) 1,131
