Strong Effort Not Enough as Sooners Top Red Raiders

Wednesday, October 12

Lubbock, Texas

6:00 PM

Texas Tech Athletics

10-11, 0-6

Oklahoma

12-7, 3-3

Oklahoma

Texas Tech

Strong Effort Not Enough as Sooners Top Red Raiders

October 12, 2016 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

Freshman Maggie Sagers tallied a match-high 19 digs for the Red Raiders in her first match as libero.

LUBBOCK, Texas – The Texas Tech volleyball team dropped a pair of heartbreaking sets to start the match and Oklahoma pulled away in the third frame to edge Texas Tech, 3-0 (28-26, 25-23, 25-17), Wednesday at United Supermarkets Arena.

The Red Raiders narrowly dropped the first two sets as they held a 23-20 lead in the first and were even at 21-21 in the second, but were unable to close with wins. Freshman Maggie Sagers, who filled in for the injured Reyn Akiu for her first career start at libero, led a Texas Tech defense that out-dug the Sooners, 50-48.

"I liked the fight," head coach Tony Graystone said. "I liked the game plan we had, I liked the matchups we had and it was good to see the team respond. We have to learn how to finish. That's the next step. I thought Maggie Sagers was terrific tonight. It was really great to see a true freshman come in and own that moment. We just have to keep putting ourselves in that fight and give ourselves the opportunity to take that next step."

Sophomore Alyssa Enneking led the Sooners with a career-high 19 kills on 41 attacks, while junior Marion Hazelwood and senior Micaela Spann added nine each. While Oklahoma managed just a 49-44 advantage in kills, they out-blocked the Red Raiders 7-2 as Hazelwood and sophomore Madison Drescher combined for 10 block assists.

Senior Lauren Douglass paced the Red Raider attack with 12 kills on a .345 hitting percentage while freshman Toni McDougald and sophomore Sarah Redding added nine kills each. Senior Marguerite Grubb nearly recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 36 assists and nine digs, and Sagers posted a career-high 19 digs.

Texas Tech led 23-20 in the first set after Grubb set up Douglass for one of her six first-set kills. A pair of kills by Enneking and a kill by Drescher, however, pulled the Sooners even. Oklahoma went on take match point at 24-23 before Douglass again put one away, but the Sooners ultimately prevailed as Spann gave them a 27-26 advantage before redshirt-senior Madison Ward's kill won the set.

The Red Raiders jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the second set before the Sooners could close the gap and even the score at 7-7. Texas Tech held a 19-17 lead in the set, which featured 13 ties, before committing two attack errors that let the Sooners back in it. With the set tied at 21-21, Oklahoma's veterans stepped up and found a way to close the set, 25-23.

Texas Tech trailed just 13-15 in the third set before Oklahoma's defense at the net took over. The Sooners recorded five blocks in the set and allowed the Red Raiders to hit just -.028 for the frame as a 10-4 pushed the Sooners to the victory.

The loss marks the ninth-straight for the Red Raiders (10-11, 0-6) and drops them below .500 for the first time since beginning its 10-match win streak in early September.

UP NEXT
Texas Tech heads to Ames, Iowa Saturday for a matchup with Iowa State (9-8, 1-4). First serve is set for 1 p.m. The Red Raiders will look to break a 19-match losing streak to the Cyclones, which dates back to 2006.