Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Athletics
8-12,1-7Big 12
BYU
16-3,5-2Big 12
Red Raiders drop match to No. 9 BYU
October 14, 2023 | Women's Volleyball
PROVO, Utah – Freshman Reagan Engler hit .545 in the match, but the Texas Tech Red Raiders fell in three to the No. 9 BYU Cougars, 21-25, 14-25, 22-25, on Saturday night at Smith Coliseum.
Engler totaled six kills on 11 swings to lead the team in hitting percentage, while also posting a team-best six blocks for the Red Raiders (8-12, 1-7 Big 12) against the Cougars (16-3, 5-2 Big 12). Graduate Cailtin Dugan totaled her team-leading 13th double-digit kill performance with 12. She also tallied five digs and a couple blocks on the night. Reese Rhodes collected 29 assists and eight digs, while Brynn Williams led the Red Raiders with 11 digs.
Tech took a 4-2 lead early in set one thanks to errors on BYU and a kill from Dugan. The Cougars answered with a run of their own, taking the 7-5 lead. The Red Raiders tied things up at 7-7 when Kate Hansen and Dugan got the block. All even at 10-10, Tech received a kill from Rhodes, but BYU responded with a 5-1 run to retake the lead, 15-12, heading into the media timeout. The Scarlet and Black kept chipping away, winning four of the following six points thanks to kills from Emily Merrick and an ace from Hansen to come within two, 19-17. Then, the Red Raiders forced a BYU timeout when they went on a 3-0 run to make it 23-20. However, the Cougars closed it out to take the first set, 25-21.
The Red Raiders won three of the first four points thanks to three slams from Dugan. BYU came back and went on a 5-0 run for the 9-5 advantage. Tech battled back as they forced a Cougar timeout after winning three-consecutive points on blocks from Rhodes, Engler, Hansen and Dugan, making it 12-11 in BYU's favor. The Cougars responded when they won the next six points, then cruised from there to claim the second set by a 25-14 score.
BYU began with a 5-1 run in the third set until the Red Raiders stopped it with two-straight points on kills by Dugan and Williams. Down 10-5, Tech would win five of the next six points, highlighted by an Abby Dickinson ace, to only trail 11-10. BYU answered by taking a 15-12 lead into the media timeout, but the Red Raiders followed with a kill right after from Dugan, then won three of the next four points to tie it at 16-all on a block from Engler and Merrick. The Cougars rallied back to take the lead at 19-16 before a Williams kill stopped the run. Then, Tech forced another BYU timeout when Dugan put down back-to-back slams to get within a point, 21-20. Tech fought until the end, but the Cougars would finish it out to win it, 25-22.
UP NEXT
Tech hosts the Houston Cougars next week at the United Supermarkets Arena on Oct. 20-21.
