Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Volleyball To Open 2015 Season With Fall Invitational
August 27, 2015 | Women's Volleyball
Aug. 27, 2015
LUBBOCK, Texas - The Texas Tech volleyball season kicks off its 40th season by hosting the Texas Tech Fall Invitational Friday, Aug. 27 to Saturday, Aug. 28 at the United Supermarkets Arena. The Red Raiders will face Utah State (11 a.m.) and Louisiana-Lafayette (7 p.m.) on Friday, followed by Houston (11 a.m.) on Saturday.
STRONG STARTS
The Red Raiders have fared well in season openers, boasting a 30-13 record all-time in such matches and are 2-2 under fifth-year head coach Don Flora entering this weekend's Texas Tech Fall Invitational. Last season, Texas Tech defeated Sacred Heart, 3-0, at the Titan Classic in Fullerton, California, in the first game of the year.
NEXT ON THE AGENDA
Texas Tech travels to Nacogdoches, Texas, next weekend for the Stephen F. Austin Tournament. Tech will have doubleheaders on both days of the tournament, starting with Columbia at 10 a.m. and Stephen F. Austin at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 4. The Red Raiders return for day two on Saturday with Northeastern (noon) and South Dakota State (5 p.m.).
NON-CON DOMINATION
The Red Raiders will look to improve its stellar non-conference record this weekend, as Tech is a combined 44-16 against out-of-league opponents under Coach Flora. Tech went 14-2 against non-conference opponents in Flora's first season, turned in an 11-5 mark in 2012 and went 7-9 the following year. However, last year the Red Raiders got off to a hot start, going 12-0 through non-conference play, the first time they had done so since 1996. During that stretch, Tech has gone 15-2 when hosting out-of-league opponents at the United Supermarkets Arena, while putting up an 18-5 record when playing at a neutral site. Both of the home non-conference losses under Flora came during the injury-riddled 2013 season.
PRESEASON HONORS
Junior Lauren Douglass was named to the 2015 Preseason All-Big 12 Volleyball Team on Aug. 6. She is the first Red Raider to earn preseason All-Big 12 accolades since Miara Cave, in 2012. That season, Cave led the team in points (267.5) and finished second in kills (239). In 2014, Douglass ranked second on the team with 272 kills and finished ninth in the Big 12 with a .303 hitting percentage, but had more kills and swings than anyone else in the top 10. Her numbers put her name on the All-Big 12 honorable mention team, also earning her Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 1) and Big 12 Co-Rookie of the Week (Sept. 22) awards.
RETURNING FIREPOWER
Texas Tech bring back three of their top five leaders in kills from last season, including the top two in Jenna Allen (334) and Lauren Douglass (272). With Alyssa Ybanez' 100 kills from last season, the trio were responsible for over half of the team's overall kill total in 2014.
BLOCK PARTY
The Red Raiders return their leading blocker from the 2014 season in junior Lauren Douglass. The Preseason All-Big 12 honoree recorded 103.0 blocks during her sophomore campaign, averaging 0.98 blocks per set. The Flower Mound, Texas, native turned in three of the top four blocking performances in 2014, with her season-high of nine coming in the 3-2 win at Baylor on Oct. 1. She would tally eight blocks in two other contests against Weber State and Incarnate Word.
SPREADING THE WEALTH
Junior Marguerite Grubb's 67 assists in the five-set win at Bucknell on Aug. 30, 2014, was the most by any Big 12 student-athlete all season. She also had the most among four-set matches putting up 61 against Air Force on Sept. 20. Her efforts throughout the season gave her final total of 558, which trailed only Emily Ruetter (573), with Grubb's total coming in six fewer sets. Per set, Grubb averaged 9.62 assists during her sophomore season, which ranked sixth in the Big 12.
ATTACK ATTACK!
Senior Jenna Allen finished sixth in the conference last season in kills per set with an average of 3.21 behind a total of 334 kills. Junior Lauren Douglass ranked eighth in the Big 12 in 2014 in hitting percentage, dialing up a .303 average.
THE WONDER YEARS
Texas Tech welcomes in six newcomers to the 2015 squad. The six combine for five All-State honors, 10 All-District selections and three state titles. Four of the six athletes were named to the 2014 American Volleyball Coaches Association Under Armour All-American Watch List.
ELITE COMPETITION
The Big 12 will once again be one of the toughest volleyball conferences nationally this season. The conference finished 2014 second in league RPI, marking the fourth time the Big 12 has been No. 2 or better, with five teams inside the NCAA RPI top 30. The league has two teams ranked in the AVCA top 25 preseason poll in Texas (No. 3) and Iowa State (No. 21), with Kansas and Oklahoma receiving votes.
