Texas Tech Athletics
South Dakota State
Volleyball Set for Three Matches in North Dakota
September 01, 2016 | Women's Volleyball
The Red Raiders head north for the second time in as many weeks.
LUBBOCK, Texas – A week after opening its season in Portland, Ore., Texas Tech volleyball hits the road again for three matches in North Dakota Sept. 2-3.
Tech (1-2) takes on South Dakota State (1-3) and North Dakota State (0-4) in a doubleheader Friday, Sept. 2, as part of the North Dakota State Classic at Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse in Fargo, N.D. The Red Raiders and Jackrabbits open the classic at 10 a.m., while the Red Raiders square off with the host Bison at 7 p.m.
Tech then travels down the road Saturday to take on North Dakota (1-3) at 7 p.m., at Betty Engelstad Sioux Center in Grand Forks, N.D.
Texas Tech defeated South Dakota State last season, 3-0, in the two teams' only previous matchup. Tech will take on NDSU and UND for the first time in program history.
Live stats and a live stream of Tech's Friday matches against SDSU and NDSU can be found at GoBison.com. Live stats of Saturday's contest with UND are available at UNDSports.com, while a stream can be found at BigSkyConf.com.
The Red Raiders closed out their opening weekend under first-year head coach Tony Graystone on a high note, picking up a 3-1 victory over Portland State on Saturday. Senior Lauren Douglass led the way, tallying 17 kills with a career-best .773 hitting percentage. Prior to the win, Tech dropped a tough five-set battle to Colorado in its opening match and fell to Long Beach State in Portland as well.
The Jackrabbits went 1-3 last weekend at the Green Bay Tournament in Green Bay, Wisc., picking up a 3-0 win over Eastern Illinois, while the Bison competed at the Colorado State/Northern Colorado Tournament, dropping all four matches. The Fighting Hawks opened the season with a 3-0 win over Omaha at the UND Classic before dropping three straight.ALL-TIME HISTORY
It'll be the second meeting between the Red Raiders and South Dakota State with both meetings occurring on a neutral court. The two programs squared off last season with Tech picking up a 3-0 victory on Sept. 5, 2015. The Red Raiders' matchups with North Dakota State and North Dakota will mark the first meeting with the two squads in program history.
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IN THE RECORD BOOK
Seniors Marguerite Grubb and Lauren Douglas didn't waste any time planting themselves in the Texas Tech record book this season. In the Red Raider's first match of 2016, Grubb compiled 52 assists to crack the school's all-time top 10 list in assists. Douglas made a mark of her own in Saturday's win against Portland State, powering her way to 17 kills with a .773 hitting percentage, a clip that ranks as her career-best and sixth all-time in a single match in the Texas Tech record books.
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FORCE IN THE MIDDLE
Leading the pack in the middle for the Red Raiders is two-time All-Big 12 honoree and All-Southwest Region award winner Lauren Douglass, who returns for her final year in the scarlet & black. Douglass racked up a team-high 280 kills in 2015, averaging 2.95 per set. Not only did she have the most kills, but she was extremely efficient with her swings, rattling off a school-record hitting percentage of .377. She also led the team in blocks with 89. Sophomore Katy Keenan also put together a strong 2015, putting down 128 kills, while also adding 46 blocks. Freshman Taylor Martinez joins a strong core of Red Raider middles poised for a big 2016.
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BALANCED DISH
In 2015, Marguerite Grubb put up 1,007 assists, becoming the first Red Raider to record 1,000+ assists in a single season since Emily Ruetter in 2013. Two new setters join the Red Raiders this season: Kyndal Cowan, a sophomore transfer from Oklahoma, and Sophia Canales, a freshman from San Antonio.
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YOUNG PASSERS
At the libero/defensive specialist position, the Red Raiders are young, with three freshmen and two sophomores set to compete at the position this season. However, the two sophomores, Reyn Akiu and Katelyn Bryant, saw action in 30 and 20 matches in 2015, respectively. Akiu tallied 166 digs and 30 assists last season, while Bryant put up 47 digs and six assists. New to Texas Tech this year includes freshmen Eighmy Dobbins, Kylie Rittimann and Maggie Sagers, who are sure to see action during the non-conference slate.
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OUTSIDES & RIGHT SIDES
A strong mix of veterans and newcomers complete the outside hitter/right side position for the Red Raiders. Juniors Victoria Hinneburg, Audrey Fragniere and Alyssa Ybanez make up the oldest group of returnees and have been known to pack quite a punch on the attack. The trio combined for 265 kills and 84 blocks in 2015. Ybanez was the star of the Red & Black scrimmage on Aug. 20, tallying 17 kills. Last season, they were flanked by Sarah Redding, who posted a strong freshman season with 173 kills, averaging 2.22 per set. Joining them are freshmen Chandler Atwood, Hannah Henriksen and Toni McDougald, while junior Courtney Ensch returns to the program after not playing last season.
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ATTACK ATTACK
The Red Raiders racked up 1,308 kills during the 2015 season, with 931 of those kills back and ready to go for 2016. Tech returns four of their top five attackers from last year in Lauren Douglass (280), Sarah Redding (173), Katy Keenan (128) and Victoria Hinneburg (122). The Red Raiders tallied 15 more kills than their opponents last season, averaging 13.3 per set for an overall hitting percentage of .209.
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CONTINUING THE TREND
In each of the last six years, a Red Raiders has cracked the top 10 in single-season digs at Texas Tech. In 2010, Tori Vaughn put up 409 digs, but was knocked out by Eric Ruegg in 2011 with 419 digs. The next three years were dominated by Rachel Brummitt, who set the school record in 2012 (510) and 2013 (604), then posted 510 digs in her 2014 senior season. Those three years also catapulted her to the Texas Tech career digs record with 1,624. Last year, Carlie Foust notched 491 digs, which ranked fourth on the list. Who continues that trend in 2016?
