Red Raiders Host Iowa State Friday on Family Night

LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech volleyball gets set for its second home match in three days as it welcomes Iowa State to United Supermarkets Arena Friday, Nov. 4, for a 5 p.m. first serve.

The Red Raiders (10-16, 0-11) have shown significant improvement over the last two weeks, winning five sets in their last four matches including a pair against then-No. 2 Texas. Tech, however, has lost 14 in a row and fell in three sets (25-13, 25-14, 25-15) in Ames earlier this season.

"When we played in Ames, to me, that was our worst performance of the year," head coach Tony Graystone said. "I didn't like how we started the match, we didn't fight the way we know we should and they were faster than us. I think you'll see us look a lot better this time around because we have gotten better at a lot of those things, and then we can start looking at matchups and what we can do individually to win points."

It's 'Family Night' at the arena, and fans can take advantage of a special package that includes four tickets, four hot dogs and four drinks for just $40. The promotion is limited to 50 families and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Fans can purchase this promotion over the phone at 806-742-TECH or in person at the ticket office. General admission tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for youth and are available at the ticket office. A reminder that the clear bag policy is in effect for all Texas Tech athletic events.

The match will be streamed on TexasTech.TV with live stats available at TexasTech.Statbroadcast.com.

THE CYCLONES
Iowa State (13-9, 5-5) looks to tie its season-long winning streak at four matches and pick up its sixth win in seven against the Red Raiders. Iowa State is coming off a home sweep over West Virginia Wednesday in which the Cyclones hit .322 as a team with 12.0 total blocks. All of Iowa State's nine losses are to teams currently in the NCAA RPI Top 50, while the Cyclones have four wins over NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago on their resume. Defense is where the Cyclones thrive, ranking third in the conference in opponent hitting percentage and first in digs per set with 16.50. Sophomore Alexis Conaway leads the offense as the Big 12's fifth-leading attacker, hitting at a .349 clip.

INSIDE THE SERIES
Texas Tech trails the all-time series with Iowa State, 20-24, with the Cyclones currently on a 20-match win streak against the Red Raiders dating back to 2006. The Red Raiders fell to the Cyclones earlier this season 3-0 (25-13, 25-14, 25-15) in Ames. Tech is 9-12 at home against Iowa State, but has lost eight straight at United Supermarkets Arena with its last win at home and in the series a 3-2 victory in 2006. The Red Raiders won 16 of the first 17 matchups between the two squads in a series that dates back to 1989.

LAST TIME OUT
Coming off a heartbreaking loss at West Virginia, Tech struggled out of the gates in a home battle against Baylor as the Bears snagged a 3-1 win (25-19, 25-20, 21-25, 25-22). Despite the loss, Tech's defense shined, especially in the third and fourth sets, with sophomore libero Reyn Akiu recording a career-high 33 digs and the Red Raiders posting a season-high 13.0 total blocks compared to five for the Bears. Senior Lauren Douglass led the way with 15 kills and seven blocks while freshman Chandler Atwood and sophomore Sarah Redding combined to add 23 kills. Senior Marguerite Grubb posted her seventh double-double of the season with 46 assists and 14 digs.

SHE CAN DIG IT
Libero Reyn Akiu has burst onto the scene during her sophomore season and become the team's most consistent defensive performer. The Honolulu, Hawaii, native posted a career-high 33 digs in Wednesday's match against Baylor, moving her up to fourth on the school's single-season digs list. Akiu now has 454 for the season and is just 57 away from claiming the No. 2 spot on the list.

ACADEMIC HONORS ROLLING IN
Senior setter Marguerite Grubb was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team on Thursday, marking her third selection in four season. Along with holding down the eighth spot on the school's career assists list, the Houston, Texas, native finished her undergrad career with a perfect 4.0 GPA in accounting and currently sports a 3.86 GPA as she works towards her master's in accounting. Additionally, Grubb was named October's Red Raider Club Scholar-Athlete of the Month for her work on the court and in the classroom.

Red Raiders Host Iowa State Friday on Family Night

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Players Mentioned

Reyn Akiu

Chandler Atwood

Lauren Douglass

Marguerite Grubb

Sarah Redding

Texas Tech University Athletics