Volleyball Continues Road Swing at K-State Saturday

Saturday, October 7

Manhattan, Kan.

1 PM

Texas Tech Athletics

Kansas State

Volleyball Continues Road Swing at K-State Saturday

October 06, 2017 | Women's Volleyball

Game Notes ESPN 3 Live Stats

Red Raiders and Wildcats will square off at 1 p.m. on ESPN 3.

LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech volleyball travels to Manhattan, Kansas, for its second road match of the week, taking on Kansas State Saturday, Oct. 7, at 1 p.m. at Ahearn Field House.

The Red Raiders (12-5, 1-3) look to bounce back against the Wildcats (8-9, 1-3) following Wednesday's loss at Oklahoma. The match will be streamed live on ESPN 3, and live stats can be found at KStateSports.com.

Holding a 3-1 mark this season in matches immediately following a loss, Tech will be looking to jump back in the win column in a tough environment. The Red Raiders are 1-20 all-time in Manhattan with the lone win coming in 2004.

"Almost everywhere is smaller than where we play," head coach Tony Graystone said of the challenges of playing on the road in the Big 12. "That is a big difference. The crowd is almost just a little more on top of you. Then, they get the band in there."

Kansas State holds a 36-10 advantage in the all-time series, including six straight wins. Tech's last win in the series was a four-set decision in Lubbock in 2013.

The Red Raiders and Wildcats are two of five teams tied for fifth in the Big 12 standings at 1-3 in league play. Kansas State, under the direction of veteran head coach Suzie Fritz, most recently dropped a four-set battle at TCU Wednesday night.

Tech is hoping the health of its back row improves Saturday. While Tech got freshman defensive specialist Emerson Solano back in the fold Wednesday, it was without sophomore defensive specialist Kylie Rittimann and continues to push forward without Preseason All-Big 12 libero Reyn Akiu.

Senior Kate Klepetka has been more than solid filling in at libero for Akiu. The graduate transfer, who already holds the career mark for digs at TAMUCC, is second in the Big 12 during league play with an average of 4.69 digs per set. She enters Saturday just nine digs away from 2,000 for her career and ranks third nationally among active players in career digs.

Junior Katy Keenan led a three-headed Red Raider attack Wednesday with 10 kills at a .562 clip. The Argyle, Texas, native has been Tech's most efficient weapon and enters Saturday as one of just four Big 12 players hitting .400 or better in league play. Keenan was joined in double figures by sophomore outsides Emily Hill and Chandler Atwood, who had 10 kills apiece. Junior Missy Owens dished out 33 assists and ranks third in the Big 12 this season at 10.98 assists per set.

The Wildcats
Kansas State enters Saturday on a three-game skid after knocking off Oklahoma in Norman to open its Big 12 slate. Since the win over the Sooners, the Wildcats have taken two sets from No. 12 Kansas, suffered a sweep at No. 5 Texas, and dropped a four-set battle at TCU. Along with Kansas and Texas, K-State has also played No. 6 Wisconsin and No. 10 Nebraska during its non-conference campaign. Head coach Suzie Fritz returned 10 letterwinners in 2017 from a squad that went 21-10 overall and 9-7 in Big 12 play in 2016. Fritz has implemented a new 6-2 system this season that features setters Sarah Dixon and Brooke Smith. Junior Kylee Zumach has been the main beneficiary as she leads the team with 3.12 kills per set while hitting at a solid .231 percentage.

Notables

Tech's 12 wins has already surpassed its 2016 total of 10 and is two away from matching its 2015 total.
Tech is one set win away from matching last season's total number of sets won (42) and five from its 2015 total (45).
Tech has road wins at North Texas, UTEP and Clemson so far in 2017.
Through four Big 12 matches, the Red Raiders are hitting .224 as a team compared to the .152 clip they posted overall in 2016.
The Red Raiders opened Big 12 play hitting .250 in its first two Big 12 matches, marking only the sixth and seventh outings since 2009 Tech has hit .250 or better in a Big 12 match.
During nonconference play, Tech earned its first non-conference win over a Power-Five school since 2012 with a 3-1 win at Clemson. A day later, they got a victory over South Carolina to mark the first time Tech has won multiple non-conference matches against Power-Five foes since 2002.
Throughout non-conference play, Tech improved its kills per set from 12.96 in 2016 to 14.09 in 2017, its assists per set from 12.07 in 2016 to 13.15 in 2017 and digs per set from 14.70 in 2016 to 15.59 in 2017. Similarly, Tech held opponents to .176 hitting in 2017, down from .200 in 2016, giving up just 11.80 kills per set, which was down from 12.59 in 2016.