Texas Tech Volleyball Announces Spring Schedule

Texas Tech Volleyball Announces Spring Schedule

February 18, 2021 | Women's Volleyball

2020-21 Volleyball Schedule

The spring 2021 schedule will act as a continuation of the fall 2020 season

LUBBOCK, Texas – The Red Raiders head into the spring with the rare opportunity to play matches that will count toward the 2020 season.

The NCAA announced earlier in the fall that volleyball championships would be moved to spring 2021, allowing teams to compete in both the fall and the spring semesters for the first time in NCAA history. While some conferences and schools sat out the fall altogether, the Big 12 elected to play all conference matches in the fall and allow schools to play nonconference matches in the spring leading up to the NCAA championships.

"I believe the Big 12 made the right decision to play in the fall," added Graystone. "The players clearly wanted to compete and both Texas Tech and the conference did a great job of creating a safe environment. There's no question we have learned a lot and we feel good about our spring schedule. We are looking forward to getting back to competing in February."

The Red Raiders have five opponents lined up for the spring, all of which they will face on the road. Texas Tech travels to Houston to face the Cougars from Feb. 25-26. In March, the Red Raiders will square up against Tarleton State (March 11), North Texas (March 17) and SMU (March 19-20) before closing with a pair of matches at Texas State (March 26-27).

No fans will be allowed at the Houston matches but both matches will be streamed on the Houston Volleyball Facebook page here. The Tarleton State, North Texas and Texas State matches will have attendance limited to player pass list only. Both matches at SMU are free and will be open to the public. All other streaming and live stats information for matches will be updated on TexasTech.com accordingly.

Texas Tech was one of the few teams in the Big 12 that played all 16 of their conference matches finishing 5-11 in league play. The schedule did not come without its challenges as Tech battled through COVID cases and close contacts that left the team shorthanded on several weekends and forced young players to step up and fill in some big shoes. Still, Texas Tech managed to find some key wins and players got valuable playing experience that the Red Raiders hope to use to their advantage in the spring.

"The fall season was definitely a challenge and we faced our share of COVID related setbacks," said Graystone. "I'm disappointed we didn't get our best lineup on the court nearly as often but at the same time I'm very proud of how we played and made the best of our situation every week."

The fall season was highlighted by a pair of wins over Oklahoma, including the first win over the Sooners since 2015 and the first sweep since 2005. It was also the first time Tech had beaten Oklahoma twice in one season since 2002. The Red Raiders picked up wins over West Virginia, TCU and No. 13 Iowa State while putting up strong fights against No. 2 Baylor and No. 11 Kansas State, falling to both in five sets.

Senior transfer Samantha Sanders made a big splash during her first fall in Lubbock. Heading into the spring, Sanders leads the team in kills with 202, which is fourth in the Big 12 and 13^th in the NCAA. She also ranked fifth in the conference in attacks per set (10.82) and points (222.0) and seventh in kills per set (3.31) and points per set (3.64).

Two other Red Raiders, Caitlin Dugan and Brooke Kanas, each recorded 100+ kills in the fall. Dugan ranked second on the team with 138 kills, averaging 2.88 kills per set. She also ranked third in blocks with 39.0. Kanas' 123 kills and 2.56 kills per set ranked third on the squad.

Alex Kirby and Reese Rhodes split time at setter in the fall. Kirby led the Red Raiders in assists (449) which ranked fourth in the Big 12 and recorded five 40+ dig performances including two 50+ dig performances. Her season-high 52 digs came in the Red Raiders five set win over No. 13 Iowa State. Rhodes tallied 147 assists of her own, making starts against No. 11 Kansas State and Kansas while also seeing time against No. 13 Iowa State, TCU and No. 2 Baylor. Rhodes recorded a season-high 42 assists against the Wildcats on Nov. 6 and a season-high 13 digs against the Jayhawks on Nov. 20.

Other key returners include Lindsey Dodson, Reagan Cooper and Karrington Jones. Dodson led the team in service aces (13) and was fourth in digs (99). Cooper, another transfer, tallied 55 kills (1.77 per set). Jones played in just three matches due to illness but averaged 1.00 kills and 1.27 blocks per set in just 11 sets.

The Red Raiders face the challenge of replacing three seniors who decided not to return for the spring season. Tech will look to fill the spot of Emerson Solano, who finished her storied career fourth in program history in digs (1,333). Solano led the Big 12 in total digs (263) in the fall which was 14^th most in the NCAA. Her 4.31 digs per set were second in the conference and 20^th in the nation. Allison Bloss, the senior middle blocker who led the team in blocks (44) will also not return for the spring. Bloss finished her Texas Tech career ranked sixth in school history in block assists with 281. Haley Harman, who started in both of the Red Raiders matches against No. 1 Texas this season, will also not return after graduating in December with a bachelor's degree in business administration.

Also missing the spring season is middle blocker Cadi Boyer, as she recovers from surgery. Boyer ranked second on the squad with 40 blocks averaging 0.89 per set.

"The libero position will definitely be up for grabs this spring and I expect there to be strong competition between Lindsey Dodson, Kiari Gier, Audrey Tuttle and Katy Northcut," said Graystone. "The middle blocker position will be tricky with Cadi out, so we will be looking at Brooke and Maddie O'Brien to work with Karrington in the middle. I am actually very excited about this position group and looking forward to working with them this spring."

Two freshmen, Madison Gilliland and Maddie Correa, will join the Red Raiders as early enrollees this spring, and though they will not be eligible to compete in the season, they will gain valuable practice time before next fall. UTEP transfer Alex Torres also joins the squad, though she will not play in the spring. Torres is a defensive specialist who was the Miners' primary libero in 2019, leading the team in digs with 299 (3.56 per set).