Texas Tech Athletics
3-0,0-0Big 12
Tarleton State
3-1,0-0WAC
Red Raiders sweep Texans
August 30, 2022 | Women's Volleyball
LUBBOCK, Texas. – Behind a 36-assist performance from junior setter Reese Rhodes, the Texas Tech Red Raiders earned their second sweep in a row after defeating the Tarleton Texans, 25-18, 25-20, 25-17, on Tuesday night at the United Supermarkets Arena.
Rhodes, who collected 12 assists per set, also added two digs and two block assists on the night. Senior Kenna Sauer led the team with 13 kills and almost posted a double-double with nine digs. Sophomore Maddie Correa tallied a career-high 19 digs, while both Maddie O'Brien and Brooke Kanas had four block assists.
Reagan Cooper was on fire at the net as she collected a hitting clip of .615 with nine kills on 13 attacks. In addition, Kanas and Karrington Jones would total seven kills apiece on the night.
As a team, Tech hit .252 with 47 kills on 107 attacks and added 42 digs and 10 blocks. The Red Raiders held the Texans to just a .071 hitting percentage as they totaled 29 kills on 99 attacks.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set One
Texas Tech started slow in the first set, going down 2-4 before tying it up at 4-all with a kill from O'Brien. Both teams went back-and-forth, eventually getting to 8-8, when Jones slammed one down. All even at 10, the Red Raiders would go on a 3-1 run to take a 13-11 lead. Again, Tarleton tied it up with a kill at 15-15, but Tech would only allow three more points as they pulled away, 25-18, in the first set.
Set Two
The Red Raiders opened the second set with a 3-1 run thanks to kills from Jones and Rhodes. Both teams traded points until Tech tied the set at 12-12 with a kill by Cooper. The Red Raiders would go on to win seven of the next eight points to take a five-point lead. Then, a kill from Jones and an error by the Texans closed out the set, 25-20.
Set Three
Just like the previous two sets, the third one started with back-and-forth action as the two teams would tie 4-4. Then, the Red Raiders went on a 6-1 run that was started by a Tarleton service error. The Texans would try and close the gap, cutting into the Tech lead with a score of 17-15, but the Red and Black won the next three points thanks to a kill from freshman Brynn Williams and two errors committed by the Texans. Tarleton would only win two more points as the Red Raiders completed the sweep with a 25-17 third set.
Notables
- Texas Tech recorded 10.0 blocks in the match, making it their second of three matches to post double-digit blocks.
- Maddie Correa earned her third double-digit dig performance with a new career-high 19 digs.
- The Red Raiders held the Texans to a season-low .071 hitting percentage.
- Kenna Sauer tallied her third double-digit kill performance and was one dig away from a double-double.
- The Red Raiders started their season 3-0 for the first time since 2019.
- Freshman Grace Betke collected her first career ace during the third set of the match.
Quotables
Junior Setter Reese Rhodes
On how Brooke Kanas' kill motivated them to come out with fire and end in a victory…
"Brooke is energetic, and I know when I set her up, she's going to take care of the ball." "I think we were seeing how they were being chaotic and we kept our composure. But then, Brooke came in and gave us that extra energy to push through when we really needed it."
On what kind of work went into her passing her assist total from last season…
"I put a lot of work in the off season and a lot of long practices, but because of those long practices it got me prepared for the season and I'm just excited to keep going and see what happens."
Head Coach Tony Graystone
On prioritizing defense in practice…
"The blocking I feel good about. We have a team that wants to be physical and they want to have a presence at the net, no question about that. I would like to see us defend better behind that block, but we're going to get there."
On how the team is feeling with having gone 3-0…
"They're good. I think we came into this wanting to get as many wins early on as we can. Every match that we see and feel good about getting a win, we're going to expect to do that. We just take it week by week, and the next one that's in front of us, we're going to try to go get."
Up Next
The Red Raiders are back on the road for the Bulldog Classic this weekend, hosted by the University of Georgia on Sept. 2-3. Tech will face College of Charleston, Charlotte and UGA at the tournament.
