Texas Tech University Athletics
VOLLEYBALL RECAP: Texas Tech 3, Texas State 1
September 03, 2021 | Women's Volleyball
The Red Raiders defeated the Bobcats 20-25, 25-19, 25-17, 25-17 Friday night in Lubbock.
LUBBOCK, Texas โย The Red Raiders improved to 4-1 on the season earning their eighth consecutive home-opening win Friday night against Texas State. Tech defeated its in-state foe in four sets, 20-25, 25-19, 25-17, 25-17.
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"Great start to the weekend," said head coach Tony Graystone. "I really liked the energy and being back in the USA. The team did a great job making adjustments throughout the match, especially with our serve and block, and it was good to see us settle in with our first touch."
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Three different Red Raiders tallied double-digit kills with Kenna Sauer leading the way for the second straight game with a career-best 13 kills. Caitlin Dugan tallied 11 kills in 24 attempts for a .417 hitting clip. Reagan Cooper finished with 10 kills and a .421 clip. The Red Raiders hit .338 as a team with 58 kills and 52 assists, 48 coming from Alex Kirby.ย
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Defensively, the Red Raiders impressed with 11 blocks, the fourth match this season with double-digit blocks. Sauer and Maddie O'Brien led the squad with five blocks each, while Brooke Kanas added four. KJ Adams was all over the court with a season-high 23 digs.
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HIGHLIGHTS
The Bobcats took the first set 25-20 as the Red Raiders worked out some early match jitters. Both sides would trade points until Texas State pulled ahead at 15-14 off a kill from Janell Fitzgerald. The Bobcats took six of the next eight points to increase their lead to 21-16. The Red Raiders attempted to rally at the end, fighting off three set points before a kill from Tessa Marshall gave Texas State the opening set.
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Tech responded with a second set win, hitting a match-high .444 in the frame. The Red Raiders forced an early timeout after going on a 4-0 run to lead 9-6. The Bobcats would tie the match at 13 as both sides battled until Tech rattled off five straight points with three blocks in a row to lead 23-17. A kill from Sauer set up set point, and a kill from Dugan gave Tech the set, tying the match.
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The momentum from the second set carried over into the third as Tech once again took a 9-6 lead. The Red Raiders increased their lead to seven with a 5-0 run capped off by a block from Cooper and O'Brien. The Bobcats pulled back within two at 14-12 but three straight attack errors sparked a six-point swing for the Red Raiders to make it 20-12. Cooper capped off the third set with a kill to give Tech the 2-1 advantage.
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Texas State jumped out to a 5-2 lead to start the fourth stanza, but Tech rallied for nine of the next 10 points to lead 11-6. Cooper began to heat up midway through the set, with three straight kills and five total in the frame to push Tech's lead to 20-11. The Red Raiders held off the Bobcats late rally attempt, closing out the match with a kill from Sauer, her 13thย of the night.
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UP NEXTย ย
The Red Raider Classic continues Saturday as Tech takes on Rhode Island at 1 p.m. before facing No. 6 Ohio State at 7:30 p.m. at United Supermarkets Arena.
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"Great start to the weekend," said head coach Tony Graystone. "I really liked the energy and being back in the USA. The team did a great job making adjustments throughout the match, especially with our serve and block, and it was good to see us settle in with our first touch."
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Three different Red Raiders tallied double-digit kills with Kenna Sauer leading the way for the second straight game with a career-best 13 kills. Caitlin Dugan tallied 11 kills in 24 attempts for a .417 hitting clip. Reagan Cooper finished with 10 kills and a .421 clip. The Red Raiders hit .338 as a team with 58 kills and 52 assists, 48 coming from Alex Kirby.ย
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Defensively, the Red Raiders impressed with 11 blocks, the fourth match this season with double-digit blocks. Sauer and Maddie O'Brien led the squad with five blocks each, while Brooke Kanas added four. KJ Adams was all over the court with a season-high 23 digs.
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HIGHLIGHTS
The Bobcats took the first set 25-20 as the Red Raiders worked out some early match jitters. Both sides would trade points until Texas State pulled ahead at 15-14 off a kill from Janell Fitzgerald. The Bobcats took six of the next eight points to increase their lead to 21-16. The Red Raiders attempted to rally at the end, fighting off three set points before a kill from Tessa Marshall gave Texas State the opening set.
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Tech responded with a second set win, hitting a match-high .444 in the frame. The Red Raiders forced an early timeout after going on a 4-0 run to lead 9-6. The Bobcats would tie the match at 13 as both sides battled until Tech rattled off five straight points with three blocks in a row to lead 23-17. A kill from Sauer set up set point, and a kill from Dugan gave Tech the set, tying the match.
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The momentum from the second set carried over into the third as Tech once again took a 9-6 lead. The Red Raiders increased their lead to seven with a 5-0 run capped off by a block from Cooper and O'Brien. The Bobcats pulled back within two at 14-12 but three straight attack errors sparked a six-point swing for the Red Raiders to make it 20-12. Cooper capped off the third set with a kill to give Tech the 2-1 advantage.
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Texas State jumped out to a 5-2 lead to start the fourth stanza, but Tech rallied for nine of the next 10 points to lead 11-6. Cooper began to heat up midway through the set, with three straight kills and five total in the frame to push Tech's lead to 20-11. The Red Raiders held off the Bobcats late rally attempt, closing out the match with a kill from Sauer, her 13thย of the night.
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UP NEXTย ย
The Red Raider Classic continues Saturday as Tech takes on Rhode Island at 1 p.m. before facing No. 6 Ohio State at 7:30 p.m. at United Supermarkets Arena.
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Players Mentioned
Team Stats
TXST
TTU
Kills
57
58
Errors
26
13
Attempts
158
133
Hitting %
.196
.338
Points
67
72
Assists
53
52
Aces
4
3
Blocks
6
11
Game Leaders
Friday, September 25
Friday, September 11
Thursday, September 10
Thursday, September 10















