Volleyball Heads to Golden State for Cal Classic

Friday, September 1

Berkeley, Calif.

6:30 PM

Texas Tech Athletics

Eastern Washington

Volleyball Heads to Golden State for Cal Classic

August 31, 2017 | Women's Volleyball

Game Notes Live Stats Stream vs. Cal

Red Raiders look to continue strong start to season with three matches Friday-Saturday in Berkeley, Calif.

LUBBOCK, Texas – Following a thrilling five-set victory at UTEP Wednesday, Texas Tech volleyball stays on the road and journeys to Berkeley, Calif., for three matches at the Cal Classic Friday-Saturday, Sept. 1-2, at Haas Pavilion.

The Red Raiders (2-0) face Eastern Washington (1-2) Friday at 6:30 p.m. CT, before a Saturday doubleheader against Dartmouth (0-0) at 2:30 p.m. CT and the Golden Bears of Cal (2-1) at 9:30 p.m. CT.

Tech's matchup with Cal will be streamed at Pac-12.com, while live stats for all three matches can be found at CalBears.com.

This marks the second trip west and the second contest with a Pac-12 school for the Red Raiders under second-year head coach Tony Graystone. The Red Raiders opened the season with Colorado last season at the Portland State Tournament.

For updates and information about Texas Tech volleyball, be sure to follow the team on Twitter and Instagram (@TexasTechVB) and stay tuned to www.TexasTech.com.

TECH NOTES

Through two matches, sophomore Emily Hill is leading the team in kills (3.44/set) with sophomore Chandler Atwood right behind her (3.11/set)
At UTEP, junior setter Missy Owens and Atwood both set career highs in kills with 13 and 15, respectively.
Owens recorded 13 kills at a .750 clip, which was the ninth-highest single-match hitting percentage in program history.
Junior Tita Akiu is among the Big 12's leaders defensively, averaging 5.67 digs per set.
Owens and Hill are among seven newcomers who have been in action so far for Tech in 2017.

ABOUT EASTERN WASHINGTON: The Eagles (1-2) began the season at the UNLV Tournament in Las Vegas. The Eagles dropped a pair of four-set matches to UC Davis and UNLV, but picked up a five-set victory over Binghamton. Senior Ashley Seiler is currently leading the team and the Big Sky Conference in kills with 57 (4.38/set). As of Wednesday (Aug. 30), Seiler ranks 23rd in the nation in total kills and 40th in kills per set. Six letterwinners return off a 2016 squad that went 18-11, 11-5 in the Big Sky. Tech is 1-1 all-time against Eastern Washington, dropping the last meeting, 3-1, in 2013.

ABOUT DARTMOUTH: Dartmouth (0-0) was off last week and opens the season against Cal Friday. Seven letterwinners return for a Big Green squad that went 9-16, 2-12 in the Ivy League last season. The roster consists of six freshmen, six sophomores, two juniors and a lone senior, outside hitter Sara Lindquist. This will be the first meeting between Tech and Dartmouth.

ABOUT CAL: The Golden Bears (2-1) hosted the Cal Molten Classic last weekend, picking up a pair of 3-1 wins over Loyola Chicago and Seattle after falling to UC Irvine to open the season. Seniors Christine Alftin and Antzela Dempi were named to the Molten Classic All-Tournament Team. Twelve letterwinners return for a Cal team that went 9-21, 3-17 in the Pac 12 last season. The two teams have met once previously, with Cal earning a 3-0 sweep in 2002.

LAST TIME OUT
The Red Raiders dug out of an 0-1 hole to take a 2-1 lead and eventually claim a tight 3-2 victory over UTEP Wednesday. Junior setter Missy Owens posted a season-high 49 assists, but the story was her attack as she recorded a career-high 13 kills while hitting at a .750 clip, which is the school's ninth-best single-match hitting percentage of all time. Sophomore Chandler Atwood scored a career-high 15 kills to lead the offense, while junior Reyn Akiu tallied a match-high 30 digs to lead the defense. A full recap of the win is available here.

UP NEXT
Following the trip out west, the Red Raiders host their home opener Monday, Sept. 4, as they take on Abilene Christian at 6 p.m., at United Supermarkets Arena. Individual match tickets are available for purchase online or at (806) 742-TECH.