Texas Tech Travels to No. 6 Kansas Saturday

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LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech Volleyball returns to the road for a bout at No. 6 Kansas Saturday, Oct. 8, at 4 p.m. CT at the Horejsi Family Athletics Center in Lawrence, Kansas.

The matchup, which marks Texas Tech's seventh contest away from home in its last nine matches, will air on ESPN3.

The Red Raiders (10-9, 0-4) are looking to break a seven-game skid following a loss to Kansas State Wednesday at United Supermarkets Arena and avoid their first 0-5 start to conference play since 2012. Kansas (14-2, 3-1) has claimed 3-1 wins over Baylor and Iowa State in its last two outings after a loss at Texas in its first Big 12 road contest.

SCOUTING THE JAYHAWKS
On the heels of a trip to the NCAA Final Four last season, No. 6 Kansas is off to another strong start in 2016 with a 14-2 overall record and 3-1 mark in conference play. The Jayhawks, who rank sixth in the nation in opponent hitting percentage (.138), fell at No. 4 Texas and No. 17 Purdue for their only two losses on the year. Two Kansas attackers rank in the top 10 of the Big 12's most efficient hitters as junior All-American Kelsie Payne averages 3.88 kills/set (5^th) and junior Madison Rigdon hits at a 3.69 clip (7^th).

INSIDE THE SERIES
Texas Tech trails the all-time series with Kansas, 16-25, and has dropped ten in a row to the Jayhawks, including a pair of sweeps last season. The Red Raiders' last win came in 2010 when Texas Tech earned a 3-2 home win. The Red Raiders are 7-14 overall against the Jayhawks in Lawrence, Kansas. The series, which dates back to 1982, features just one match prior to the formation of the Big 12 with Texas Tech earning a 2-0 victory.

LAST TIME OUT
Texas Tech was unable to hold on to early leads in sets one and two and Kansas State held on in the third set to claim a 3-0 win Wednesday at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock. Senior Lauren Douglass led the Red Raiders in kills with 10, marking her 11th double-digit kill game of the year, and setter Marguerite Grubb recorded her third double-double of the season with 28 assists and 11 digs. Kansas State's offensive attack, however, proved too much, outhitting the Red Raiders .308 to .168 as they handed Tech a 25-18, 25-19, 25-20 defeat.

AMONG THE BIG 12'S BEST
A trio of Red Raiders rank among the best in the Big 12 for their position. Senior Lauren Douglass is tied for second in the conference with a .388 hitting percentage, a clip which ranks 34th nationally. Sophomore Tita Akiu is tied for first in the conference with 327 total digs 327 and tied for second in the conference with 4.88 digs/set. With 327 total digs, Akiu is in the top 30 nationally. Likewise, senior setter Marguerite Grubb is one of five players in the Big 12 averaging double-digit assists/set (10.16).

ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Texas Tech's trip to Lawrence marks its seventh contest outside of Lubbock in its last nine matches. Texas Tech is 1-5 away from home during that span with its lone win coming in a five-set thriller at Rice. The Red Raiders started 4-0 on the road this season before dropping its last three contests at UTSA, TCU and Baylor. Texas Tech's four road wins this season are already its most in a single year since 2011.

DOUBLE THREAT
While sophomore libero Tita Akiu receives much of the praise defensively, senior Lauren Douglass has once again proven to be a force at the net. Along with her dominance on the attack, the veteran is averaging 1.15 blocks/set to rank T-4 in the Big 12, while her 77.0 total blocks rank T-3 in the Big 12 and just outside the top 40 in the nation. Among the top 10 block leaders in the Big 12, Douglass's .389 hitting percentage ranks as the league's best.

YOUTH MOVEMENT
Aside from seniors Lauren Douglass and Marguerite Grubb, head coach Tony Graystone started all underclassmen in Texas Tech's last two matches. Sophomores Tita Akiu and Katy Keenan have started every match this season, while fellow sophomore Sarah Redding and freshmen Toni McDougald, Chandler Atwood and Maggie Sagers have been regulars in the starting lineup as well. Atwood (2.37) and McDougald (2.29) rank second and third on the team in kills, respectively, while Keenan ranks second on the team in hitting percentage (.288) and Sagers and Akiu lead the team with 0.24 services aces/set, which ranks T-9 in the conference.

ON THE MEND
The Red Raiders have been working several key pieces back into the rotation since the beginning of Big 12 play. Sophomore Sarah Redding started for the fourth time this season against Kansas State after missing 14 matches with an injury, putting up a solid seven kills in the match. Junior Ashley Morgan also received time for just the third time against Kansas State for just the third time this season after spending the majority of nonconference play recovering from injury. Senior setter Marguerite Grubb has started the last three matches as she continues to battle back from an ankle injury she suffered at UTSA.

Texas Tech Travels to No. 6 Kansas Saturday

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Players Mentioned

Chandler Atwood

Lauren Douglass

Marguerite Grubb

Katy Keenan

Toni McDougald

Sarah Redding

Maggie Sagers

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