Volleyball Tops VCU, Ohio State on Opening Day

Friday, August 30

Columbus, OH

8:30 AM

Texas Tech Athletics

3-0

VCU

1-2

Team	1	2	3	Final F
Texas Tech	25	25	25	3
VCU	17	20	19	0

Volleyball Tops VCU, Ohio State on Opening Day

August 30, 2019 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

The Red Raiders are off to a strong start thanks to a pair of wins on opening day.

By: Texas Tech Athletics Communications

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The first day of the 2019 season was an exciting one as the Texas Tech volleyball team swept VCU, 3-0, and edged the Ohio State Buckeyes, 3-2, at the Covelli Center on the first day of the Sports Imports Classic.

Several Red Raiders achieved career highs in Tech's nightcap against Ohio State. Senior standout Emily Hill ground out 29 kills against the Buckeyes, eclipsing her 26-kill mark from September 27, 2017. Sophomore setter Alex Kirby raised her bar as she collected eight kills, 16 digs and an impressive 50 assists. Karrington Jones posted a career-high nine kills and freshman Caitlin Dugan made her mark with eight kills against Ohio State.

"I'm really happy with our play today, especially how we able to pull together and close out each match," head coach Tony Graystone said. "This team really showed me something today and I'm excited about where we're headed."

TEXAS TECH 3, VCU 0

It took Tech just an hour and 13 minutes to pick up the first win (and sweep) among all Division I institutions for the 2019 season. Led by Hill with a whopping 20 kills, the Red Raiders combined for a .280 hitting percentage and six service aces against the Rams of VCU. Entering 2019 as Tech's primary setter, Kirby posted 39 assists in the opening game of the Sports Imports Classic.

The Red Raiders stonewalled VCU at the net with a total of 10.5 blocks. In her first outing of the year, Jones reigned in Tech's only solo block while she teamed up with other Red Raiders on six separate occasions. Emerson Solano paced the Red Raiders with 11 digs and Tech held VCU to a .158 hitting percentage.

SET 1: Texas Tech 25, VCU 17
Back-to-back blocks from Jones and Hill gave Tech an early burst of energy before Kylie Rittimann powered the Red Raiders first ace of the season. VCU made a comeback and claimed an 8-6 lead, but a kill from Brooke Kanas, Red Raider block and VCU attack error tied up the game at nine points apiece. From there Tech rolled and 9-4 run gave Tech the separation it needed. Leading 19-17, the Red Raiders pounded six unanswered points to clinch their first set of the new year, 25-17.

SET 2: Texas Tech 25, VCU 20
Both teams traded points until an ace from Hill and a kill from Jones gave the Red Raiders slim separation at 5-3. However, the Rams battled back early in the set, keeping the score within one point until three kills from Hill and a pair of blocks from Jones, Hill and Kirby gave Tech a 16-12 advantage. Tech maintained distance and a 4-0 run gave primed the Red Raiders for match point. After a small slip up on Tech's side of the court, VCU's Olivia Martin served one into the next and the Red Raiders came away with a five-point win in the second.

SET 3: Texas Tech 25, VCU 19
The third set saw three lead changes, but it was the ultimately the Red Raiders who would hang on to the momentum. Making a huge impact in the third set, senior Chandler Atwood put up five kills on .714 to help the Red Raiders to a straight-set win. Hill collected six kills in the final set while Kirby dished out 14 assists. VCU got out to an early 3-2 lead, but it wouldn't last long as Tech came roaring back thanks to a pair of dominating kills from Atwood. From there, the Red Raiders never relinquished their lead and used four kills, two blocks and an ace to grab an 18-13 lead. The Rams called for timeout and Atwood immediately delivered her fourth kill of the morning to move Tech into the 20-point range. The Rams tried to make a late comeback with two unanswered points, but one final kill from hill sealed the Red Raiders' first win of the 2019 season.

TEXAS TECH 3, OHIO STATE 2

Tech's nightcap against Ohio State went back-and-forth the entire match. Ultimately, it was strong offense, combined with timely defensive stops, that led to the Red Raiders' second win of the day. Tech's win 3-2 win marked the programs second-ever victory over the Buckeyes, as well as the Red Raiders' first win over Ohio State since the team first met back in 1979.

Hill posted a dominating .407 hitting percentage with 29 kills against the Buckeyes while Kirby paced the Red Raiders with 50 assists and 16 digs. Hill was just one kill away from reaching 30 in one match – a feat that hasn't been done by a Red Raider since 2004.

SET 1: Ohio State 25, Texas Tech 21
Consecutive kills from Hill gave the Red Raiders an early 2-1 lead, but the Buckeyes strung together a 4-1 run and took a 5-3 lead. A kill from Jones sparked a three-point run for the Red Raiders, but it wasn't long before Ohio State took a two-point advantage at 12-10. A pair of Ohio State errors tied up the match at 12 points apiece but a 5-2 run in favor of the Buckeyes swung the momentum towards the tournament host. Jones laid down her second kill of the night to bring Tech within one point, but the Red Raiders couldn't make up ground and dropped the first set by four points.

SET 2: Texas Tech 25, Ohio State 22
Tech got off to a hot start in the second and used a 6-3 run to pick up early momentum. However, Ohio State answered back with four consecutive points to tie things up at six points apiece. The two squads traded points before a Kirby kill and three straight Buckeye errors gave the Red Raiders a 12-8 advantage. Back-to-back kills from Atwood and Hill allowed Tech to jump out to a 20-15 lead, but a 6-1 run for the Buckeyes closed the lead and tied up the match, 21-21. Digging deep, Dugan powered a kill from the right side and White held onto Tech's lead with a kill of her own. Jones and Hill teamed up for Tech's second block of the set and Hill delivered the final blow to even up the match, 1-1.

SET 3: Texas Tech 25, Ohio State 20
The Red Raiders combined for a .405 hitting percentage in the third set while limiting the Buckeyes to just 15 kills. Kirby and White highlighted the Tech defense with two huge solo blocks. Three kills and an Ohio State error gave Tech its first four points of the set and two straight kills from Hill equalized the set, 10-10. Three more kills and a service ace from Hill closed a three-point deficit and, after a minor point for the Buckeyes, Tech rolled on a 6-1 run to take its final lead of the set. Katy Northcut served up an ace to further Tech's lead and a monster block up the middle from Jones and Dugan sealed the second set for the Red Raiders.

SET 4: Ohio State 25, Texas Tech 23
The fourth set was a battle from start to finish with neither team willing to relinquish much of a lead. Hill drilled five kills on 10 attempts in the fourth and four Red Raiders – Dugan, Kirby, Atwood and Jones – all collected two kills. Neither team led by more than two points until an Ohio State attack error gave the Red Raiders a 22-19 advantage late in the set. However, Tech couldn't hang on to the momentum and the Buckeyes forced a fifth set after five unanswered points.

SET 5: Texas Tech 15, Ohio State 12
Lindsey Dodson opened up the do-or-die set with an ace and both teams swapped points until it was tied up at three-all. Ohio State got out to a 7-5 lead over the Red Raiders until five combined kills from Hill and Dugan lifted Tech to an 11-9 advantage. A timely block from Jones and Hill extended Tech's lead even further and two kills from Hill moved the Red Raiders to match point. With pressure looming in the Covelli Center, Jones found her composure and drilled the final point of the match to give the Red Raiders a 3-2 win over the hosting Ohio State Buckeyes.

COMING UP NEXT

The Red Raiders will close out the Sports Imports Classic tomorrow with a 1 p.m. (CT) match against Lehigh at the Covelli Center. Live stats, as well as live Twitter updates, will be available for the match.

For all the latest information on the Texas Tech volleyball team, visit TexasTech.com or follow @TexasTechVB on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.