Red Raiders Topped in Four Sets at No. 3 Texas

Saturday, November 4

Austin, Texas

2 PM

Texas Tech Athletics

14-10, 3-8Big 12

Texas

19-2, 11-0Big 12

Texas Tech

Texas

Red Raiders Topped in Four Sets at No. 3 Texas

November 04, 2017 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Texas Tech returns home to take on Oklahoma Wednesday at 6 p.m.

AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Tech volleyball won its first set in Austin since 2009, but ultimately fell 3-1 (25-19, 20-25, 25-21, 25-12) at No. 3 Texas Saturday in front of 3,892 fans in Gregory Gym.

After Texas (19-2, 11-0) closed out a tight first set, the Red Raiders (14-10, 3-8) evened the match at 1-1 by winning the second set, 25-20, behind seven kills from sophomore Chandler Atwood. Tech continued to push the Longhorns in the next stanza, but Texas was able to squeak out the third set before finishing the match in four.

"I was really happy with our play today," head coach Tony Graystone said. "We competed hard and gave ourselves opportunities to win a lot of points. We were right there for a majority of the match, and this is definitely how we want to play down the stretch. We're looking forward to getting back to Lubbock and preparing for Oklahoma."

Texas's Lexi Sun recorded 21 kills on a .378 hitting percentage, and senior Chiaka Ogbogu added nine kills and eight blocks for the defending national champions.

Atwood finished with 12 kills to lead Tech, while junior Katy Keenan tallied eight kills at a .444 clip. Freshman Allison White added eight kills and a pair of blocks. Setter Missy Owens returned after missing three matches, finishing with 37 assists, four digs and three kills. Senior Kate Klepetka led Tech defensively with 17 digs.

The Red Raiders used a 4-0 run early in the set to take a 10-9 lead and force a Longhorn timeout. White set the pace for Tech with five kills in the frame on .444 hitting, but the Longhorns pulled away late to gain the 1-0 advantage.

Tech came right back in the second with a quick start, as junior Reyn Akiu delivered an ace that capped off a 4-0 run and put Tech in front 7-4. Following a timeout, Texas evened the match at 9-9, but Tech regained control throughout the set and built a 22-18 lead off one of seven Atwood kills in the set. After Texas made it 23-20, Tech closed the set with a kill from Keenan sliding right and a put down by Owens at the net.

The Longhorns responded in the third, jumping out to a 6-1 lead. After a Tech timeout, Tech pushed back and closed the gap to one at 12-11. Sun would record three-straight kills to extend the Texas lead to 18-14. The Red Raiders closed it to one at 22-21, but Texas closed the set with three straight points.

Behind senior Cat McCoy's serve, the Longhorns built a 10-1 lead in the fourth. Tech trimmed the lead to 11-4, but that was as close as it would come as Texas hit .571 for the set on their way to clinching the victory.

UP NEXT
The Red Raiders host Oklahoma Wednesday, Nov. 8, at United Supermarkets Arena. First serve is slated for 6 p.m. on FOX Sports Southwest. The match is one of just two remaining home matches in the 2017 season. The Red Raiders will be looking to avenge a straight-set loss at Oklahoma on October 4.

NOTABLES

Tech won its first set in Austin since 2009.
Setter Missy Owens returned after missing the last three matches with an injury.
Sophomore Chandler Atwood made her second start of Big 12 play and first since Oct. 4 at Oklahoma.
Tech moves to 2-39 all-time in Austin.
The Red Raiders remain one win away from earning its most Big 12 wins in a season since 2006.