Season In Review: 2017 Texas Tech Volleyball

In its second year under head coach Tony Graystone, the Texas Tech University volleyball program finished the 2017 season with a 19-15 overall record and a postseason run that concluded in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship title match. Led by All-Big 12 Second Team selection Missy Owens, the season marked the first winning season for the Red Raiders since 2001.

2017 MILESTONES

•             Most wins in a season since 2000
•             First winning season since 2001
•             First postseason appearance since 2001
•             Most Big 12 wins in a season since 2006
•             Highest finish in the Big 12 standings since 2001
•             Program's first-ever appearance in a postseason championship match
•             Best home record since 2002
•             Won 69 sets, the most since in a season since 2000
•             Latest into December the program has played since 1991
•             Junior Missy Owens was named 2017 All-Big 12 Second Team
•             Owens and senior Kate Klepetka were named to the 2017 NIVC All-Tournament squad
•             Five Red Raiders received 2017 Academic All-Big 12 recognition.
•             Tech was the only school in the Big 12 with two student-athletes to post 4.00 GPAs.

TEAM HIGHLIGHTS

• In its most successful Big 12 slate since 2006, the Red Raiders finished 4-12 in Big 12 play with wins over West Virginia, Kansas State and TCU, while pushing several NCAA teams to five sets. Tech not only swept the season-series with TCU, but also defeated the Horned Frogs in the NIVC semifinals to go 3-0 against the Big 12 rival. The Red Raiders also took a set in Austin for the first time since 2009 and a set against Kansas for the first time since 2014.

• Texas Tech finished the season 14-3 against non-conference opponents, including wins against South Carolina and Clemson. Tech also posted wins over several in-state schools such as TCU, North Texas, SMU, Texas State and UTEP, UTRGV, Abilene Christian and Lamar. Tech's highest RPI win of the season came in Denton with the Red Raiders topping the Mean Green, 3-1, to open the season.

• Tech's 2017 NIVC run marked the first time in program history the Red Raiders won consecutive postseason matches and advanced out of the second round of a tournament. The championship date of Dec. 12 was the latest Tech has played into December since 1991 when it played an NCAA Second Round match on December 13. The Red Raiders were the only NIVC semifinal team to play every match of the tournament away from home.

• With a 7-5 mark at United Supermarkets Arena, the Red Raiders had their most successful home record since 2002. Attendance rose 36 percent from 2016 to 2017 with Red Raider Nation out in full force for Tech's annual showdown with in-state rival Texas, which had a crowd of 1,614 take in the match, which went down as the fourth best crowd for a volleyball match at the arena. Highlights of the home schedule include four-set victories over West Virginia and TCU, and a 3-2 win over Kansas State in which the Red Raiders rallied from down 2-1. Tech also won the Red Raider Classic in September with Emily Hill earning Tournament MPV.

INDIVIDUAL HIGHLIGHTS

• Setter Missy Owens had a stellar junior season after transferring to the program from Long Beach State. She became the first Red Raider setter since Lisa Hilgers in 1998 to be honored by the Big 12, earning second team All-Big 12 honors after tallying 10.87 assists per set, good for third in the league. Her total of 1,217 assists on the year ranks tenth on the school's single-season assist list and gave her consecutive seasons of 1,200 assists or more. In addition to piling up the assists, she was efficient on the attack with 131 kills on 277 attacks for a .350 attack percentage that ranks third on the school's single-season list. Owens also ranked among the team leaders in digs and aces and finished second on the team with 12 double-doubles. She was also named to the NIVC All-Tournament Team, VolleyMob's NIVC Dream Team and the Clemson Challenge All-Tournament Team.

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• In one season in the Scarlet and Black, defensive specialist Kate Klepetka made a tremendous impact as a grad transfer from Texas A&M – Corpus Christi. She made 18 appearances at libero, recording 481 digs for sixth place on the program's single-season digs list. After a storied career at TAMUCC, Klepetka finished third among all active DI players in career digs with over 2,100. She compiled 25 double-digit dig performances, 10 of 20 digs or more and two 32-dig matches that rank in among the school's top-10 matches of all time. Her efforts earned her nods to the NIVC All-Tournament Team, VolleyMob's NIVC Dream Team and the Red Raider Classic All-Tournament Team.

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• Middle blocker Katy Keenan posted the school's ninth best hitting percentage for a single season, hitting at a .324 clip as a junior in 2017 to rank sixth in the Big 12. Her career hitting percentage of .289 currently ranks sixth on Tech's all-time list. Her kill total of 259 was third on the team and her 96 total blocks was second on the team. She hit .475 over three matches at the Clemson Challenge to take home tournament MVP. Later on, she recorded a career-high 16 kills against No. 18 Iowa State, and then tallied a career-high seven blocks in Tech's NIVC Semifinal win at TCU. She has received academic honors from the Big 12 in all three years, earning Academic All-Big 12 First Team honors in 2017.

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• Middle blocker Allison White became the first Red Raider freshman in the NCAA era to record 100 blocks in a season, finishing with 121 on the year to lead the team. Additionally, she was one of only three Red Raiders to hit .250 or better on the year, ranking fifth on the team in kills with 196. She turned in a career-high 14 kills at a .609 clip at Cal after recording a career-high seven blocks against Darmouth to earn a spot on the Cal Classic All-Tournament Team. She was the only freshman to start every match and one of four Red Raiders in 2017 to play every set.

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• Outside Hitter Emily Hill led the team in kills and double-doubles in 2017 after transferring to Tech from Mississippi State following her freshman year. As a sophomore, Hill was a steady threat as a six-rotation player and racked up 416 kills on 1,321 attack attempts. She led the team with 23 double-digit kill matches, including 12 in league play, while leading the team in kills a team-best 15 times. She was also second on the team in aces, fourth in blocks. She became the first Red Raider since 2014 with 20-plus kills and 10-plus digs in a match, accomplishing the feat twice. Named the Red Raider Classic MVP in September, Hill heads into her junior year two kills shy of 800 for her collegiate career and nine digs shy of 500.

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• Outside Hitter Chandler Atwood showed why she has All-Big 12 potential in her final two seasons. As a sophomore in 2017, she finished second on the team in kills with 380 and third on the team in blocks with 62. She led the team in kills 14 times and finished in double figures in 23 matches, including 11 during league play and 11 of the final 12 matches. Her efforts landed her on the Red Raider Classic All-Tournament Team in September, and she also earned a spot on the 2017 Academic All-Big 12 Second Team.

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• Sarah Redding displayed grit and determination by battling through injury all season long and still managing to finish with career bests of 226 kills and a .215 hitting percentage. She eclipsed 500 kills for her career with a team-high 11 against TCU on Nov. 15 and put up eight double-digit kill performances in all for 2017. She had a season-high 16 kills while hitting at a .619 clip in Tech's win at Clemson on her way to being named to the Clemson Challenge All-Tournament Team.

HONORS AND AWARDS

Big 12 Conference
All-Big 12 (Second Team): Missy Owens

National Invitational Volleyball Championship
NIVC All-Tournament Team: Missy Owens
NIVC All-Tournament Team: Kate Klepetka
VolleyMob NIVC Dream Team: Missy Owens (Set)
VolleyMob NIVC Dream Team: Kate Klepetka (Lib)

Academic All-Big 12
Kyndal Cowan, Jr., Communications Studies (4.00 GPA)
Eighmy Dobbins, RS Fr., Advertising (4.00 GPA)
Katy Keenan, Jr., RHIM
Kylie Rittimann, So., Civil Engineering
Chandler Atwood, So., Sociology

All-Tournament Team Selection
Missy Owens: Clemson Challenge
Kate Klepetka: Red Raider Classic
Katy Keenan: Clemson Challenge MVP
Allison White: Cal Classic
Sarah Redding: Clemson Challenge
Emily Hill: Red Raider Classic MVP
Chandler Atwood: Red Raider Classic

LOOKING TOWARDS 2018

Texas Tech will return 99 percent of its offensive firepower in 2018, led by All-Big 12 Second Team setter Missy Owens, who finished with 1,217 assists on the year for tenth on Tech's single-season list. Outside hitters Emily Hill and Chandler Atwood return for their junior seasons after combining for 793 kills this season, the most by a Red Raider tandem since 2003. Katy Keenan and Sarah Redding will gear up for their senior campaigns. The duo has totaled just under 1,100 kills during their three seasons in Lubbock. With Allison White and Haley Harman entering their sophomore years, Tech returns its top seven attackers from 2017.

Graystone inked six signees during the early signing period. Tech will welcome outside hitter/middle blocker Karrington Jones, right side Brooke Kanas, middle blocker Jessica Langridge, outside hitter Haley Killinger, setter/defensive specialist Audrey Smith and setter Alex Kirby to the fold in 2018.