VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW: Red Raider Classic

LUBBOCK, Texas – The Texas Tech volleyball team is set to host the annual Red Raider Classic this weekend (Sept. 3-4) at United Supermarkets Arena. The tournament will play host to Texas State, Rhode Island and No. 6 Ohio State.

Tech's home opener is slated for Friday at 6 p.m. against longtime in-state foe, Texas State. The Red Raiders will face Rhode Island Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. before closing out the tournament against the sixth-ranked Buckeyes at 7:30 p.m. Saturday night.

RED RAIDER QUICK HITS

The Red Raiders are coming off a dominant sweep of Abilene Christian on Tuesday night. Tech was strong both offensively and defensively, hitting .344 as a team while holding the Wildcats to .069 hitting and tallying 11 blocks.
Tech sits at first place in the Big 12 in blocks (39.5) and second in blocks per set (2.82) after one week of play. The Red Raiders have tallied 10+ blocks in three of their four matches with a season-high of 14.0 against NC State that was just shy of their season-high from 2020. Last season the Red Raiders recorded 10+ blocks in six games all season, they already have three matches with double digit blocks this year.
Kenna Sauer is making a name for herself in the red and black, she leads the Red Raiders in kills (32) and points (39.5). Sauer, a transfer from Missouri, tied her career-high in kills and set a career-high in digs against NC State last weekend as she recorded a double-double with 12 kills and 21 digs. She led the team in kills against Abilene Christian with 10, hitting .318 in the match.
The Red Raiders open the home schedule against Texas State on Friday at 6 p.m. for the 26^th meeting all-time against the Bobcats. The Red Raiders are 20-5 overall against Texas State, winning the most recent matchup in three sets in 2017. Tech has won the last seven home openers, dating back to 2014.
Tech will face Rhode Island for the first time in 36 years when they meet on Saturday. The Red Raiders are 2-0 against the Rams, last meeting in 1985.
Texas Tech and No. 6 Ohio State meet for the second time in three years and the sixth time overall on Saturday night. In 2019 the Red Raiders traveled to Columbus where they knocked off the Buckeyes at home in five sets. Alex Kirby recorded a double-double with 50 assists and 16 digs, adding eight kills in the last meeting. Karrington Jones put up nine kills with four blocks and Caitlin Dugan registered eight kills in the match.

The full tournament schedule is listed below.

Friday, Sept. 3
3:00 p.m. – #6 Ohio State vs. Rhode Island (Live Stats)
6:00 p.m. – Texas Tech vs. Texas State (Live Stats | Watch)
Saturday, Sept. 4
10:30 a.m. – Texas State vs. #6 Ohio State (Live Stats)
1:00 p.m. – Texas Tech vs. Rhode Island (Live Stats | Watch)
5:00 p.m. – Rhode Island vs. Texas State (Live Stats)
7:30 p.m. – Texas Tech vs. #6 Ohio State (Live Stats | Watch)

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

VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW: Red Raider Classic

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Players Mentioned

Caitlin Dugan

Karrington Jones

Alex Kirby

Kenna Sauer

Texas Tech University Athletics