Red Raiders Fall to No. 11 Kansas State in Five Sets

Friday, November 6

Lubbock, TX

3 PM

Texas Tech Athletics

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Kansas State

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Kansas St.

Texas Tech

Photo by: Matthew Hartman

Red Raiders Fall to No. 11 Kansas State in Five Sets

November 06, 2020 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

Three Red Raiders recorded double-digit kills in Tech’s loss to the Wildcats.

LUBBOCK, Texas – The Texas Tech volleyball team fell in a five-set battle against 11^th ranked Kansas State Friday afternoon at United Supermarkets Arena.

The Red Raiders (3-8) had another season-best service performance with nine aces and held Kansas State (7-4) to a .195 hitting percentage in the loss.

Samantha Sanders and Caitlin Dugan led the way for the Red Raiders on offense. Sanders tallied her fourth double-double of the season with 18 kills and 10 digs. Dugan added 16 kills with a .412 hitting percentage and assisted on five blocks. Brooke Kanas also reached double-digit kills with 11 and Cadi Boyer added a season-high seven blocks. In her first start for the Red Raiders, setter Reese Rhodes recorded a double-double with 42 assists and 11 digs.

The first set began in a back-and-forth battle until a media timeout with Kansas State leading 15-14 sparked a 10-2 Wildcat run. The Red Raiders had 12 errors in the first set resulting in a 25-16 opening set victory for Kansas State.

Tech rebounded in the second stanza taking down the Wildcats 25-12 in the most lopsided set of the match. Five of the Red Raiders nine aces came in the second set as Mackenzie Morgan recorded three aces, a new career high. Back-to-back aces by Morgan forced a Kansas State timeout with Tech up 16-9. Dugan assisted on back-to-back blocks with Boyer and Allison Bloss to make it 21-11 in favor of the Scarlet and Black. Sanders closed out the set with her sixth kill of the evening.

The Wildcats claimed set three 25-15 with their best attacking percentage of the night hitting .406 with 17 kills in the set.

The intensity level ramped up in the fourth as the Red Raiders hoped to force a decisive fifth set. Tech jumped out to a 5-2 lead after a kill from Bloss, but the Wildcats answered with three points to tie things up at five. The two sides traded points until Lindsey Dodson recorded her second ace of the match heading into the media timeout with Tech up 15-12. The Wildcats tried to claw back in the set late bringing it as close as 23-20, but the Red Raiders won the final two points to force the deciding set, 25-20.

The final set was a nail biter as both teams traded blows throughout the frame. The Red Raiders had the first opportunity to close out the match, serving at 14-13. The Wildcats saved off the match point to take the next two points 15-14. Tech fought off a match point to tie things back up at 15 apiece but the Wildcats would tally the next two points to take the deciding set 17-15.

Tech takes on Kansas State again tomorrow at 1 p.m. for Faculty Appreciation Day. Texas Tech faculty can purchase tickets for just $3 by showing their TTU ID.