Red Raiders Fall Short Against Kansas

Saturday, October 13

Lubbock, TX

1 PM

Texas Tech Athletics

15-6, 4-3

Kansas

13-4, 6-0

Kansas

Texas Tech

October 13, 2018 | Women's Volleyball

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Tech drops its first match at home in 2018.

By: Ty Parker, Texas Tech Athletics Communications

LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech volleyball fell for the first time at home in the 2018 season, dropping a hard-fought 3-0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-19) battle to Kansas Saturday afternoon on Pink Day at United Supermarkets Arena.

All three frames went down to the wire, but the Jayhawk block proved too much to overcome as the Red Raiders (15-6, 4-3) were blocked 16.5 times, the most this season, and limited to a .096 hitting percentage on the afternoon.

"The only positive right now is that we know we are going to get them again," head coach Tony Graystone. "We know we have a better game inside of us, we've shown that we are a better team than this and for whatever reason these last three matches we have really been in our own way. As soon as we clear that and figure that out how to force the other team to beat us, then things are going to get back on track."

Junior Emily Hill led two Red Raiders in double figures with 15 kills and nine digs while freshman Brooke Kanas joined her with 12 kills on .308 hitting.

Hill, who came up one dig shy of her eighth double-double of the year, led the Red Raiders in kills for the 12^th time this season and third time in Big 12 play. Kanas, meanwhile, has hit in double figures in all seven Big 12 matches this year.

Kansas's Ashley Smith led the Jayhawks with nine kills and four blocks. Rachel Langs recorded a match-high nine blocks and Zoe Hill added six more for Kansas (13-4, 6-0).

The straight-set loss was Tech's first in Big 12 play and only the second of the season. The Red Raiders move to 16-30 all-time against Kansas and have dropped 16 in a row.

The Red Raiders went toe-to-toe with the Jayhawks in each of the first two sets, tied 21-21 in the first frame and trailing by one at 22-21 in the second. Kansas, however, scored four of the last five in the first set with three of those coming on blocks, while Gabby Simpson came up with two big kills down the stretch of set No. 2.

In the third set, a kill from Kanas pulled Tech within three at 21-18, but Langs tallied KU's next two kills and an attack error from Emily Hill sealed it.

NOTABLES

Tech falls to 6-1 in home matches this season
Tech finished with more kills (42-39) than Kansas
Junior Kylie Rittimann led Tech in digs (11) for the second time this season
Freshman Haley Killinger made her first Big 12 appearance
Tech moves to 5-5 when losing the first set
Tech was held under .100 hitting for just the second time this season

UP NEXT
The Red Raiders have Wednesday off before traveling to Austin Saturday to face No. 4 Texas (10-4, 5-1). The match wraps up the first half of Big 12 play. Tech will be looking for its first win over Texas since sweeping the season series in 2000.

Keep up with all things Texas Tech volleyball by following the Red Raiders at @TexasTechVB on Twitter and Instagram and online at www.TexasTech.com.