Red Raiders get five-set win in final home match

Wednesday, November 22

Lubbock, Texas

2:00 PM

Texas Tech Athletics

11-18,4-13Big 12

Oklahoma

10-17,3-14Big 12

Oklahoma

Texas Tech

Red Raiders get five-set win in final home match

November 22, 2023 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Box Score Press Conference

By: Jay Strader

LUBBOCK, Texas – The Texas Tech Red Raiders defeated the Oklahoma Sooners, 3-2, in a back-and-forth five set affair on Wednesday afternoon in Tech's last home match of the season.

Senior setter Reese Rhodes eclipsed 2,000 career assists in her final game in Lubbock to help her team get the win. Rhodes milestone assist came in the fifth set when she set Brynn Williams on the left side of the net to give Tech a 6-5 lead in the deciding set.

SET HIGHLIGHTS
The Sooners (10-17, 3-14) came out swinging in set number one as they hit .355 percent with 17 kills.

The Red Raiders (11-18, 4-13) struck back in set two with a plus-.300 hitting percentage of their own as they ended the set on a 7-0 run to tie the match at 1-1.

That momentum carried over into the beginning of set three as Tech jumped out to a 17-9 lead before Oklahoma answered back and ended the set on an 8-0 run to take a 2-1 lead.

In set four, Madison Gilliland was hot from behind the service line as the Red Raiders went on a 6-1 run to open the set thanks to four aces from Gilliland. Tech closed out the set with a 25-19 win to force a fifth set.

Oklahoma had a three-point lead in the fifth set but after a Tony Graystone timeout, the Red Raiders retaliated with a 6-1 run to secure the win and defend their home court one last time in 2023.

BY THE NUMBERS
- Brynn Williams had an incredibly efficient match, going for 17 kills and recording just three errors for a .368 hitting percentage. Williams added 10 digs to record her eighth double-double of the season.
- Abby Dickinson set a new career-high with six assists. The freshman benefited from some great dumps by Reese Rhodes who ended the game with 41 assists, 10 digs and seven kills.
- Caitlin Dugan also had double-digit kills with 12 and recorded two solo blocks.
- Madison Gilliland's four serving aces sets a new career-high for her and she added five kills and five blocks.
- Courtney O'Brien and Maddie Correa played great on the backline, combining for 27 digs and recording only one receiving error each.
- Emily Merrick and Reagan Engler rounded out the rest of Texas Tech's points as they combined for 20.0. Merrick recorded nine kills and five blocks while Engler finished with six kills and three blocks.

QUOTES – Tony Graystone & Reese Rhodes

Opening Statement: (Graystone)
"That was a really solid, good match. There was some ragged play in there at times — that third set we absolutely should've taken care of that, fifth set we're down 12-9. We were close to being in big trouble. I think we showed a lot of growth to be able to take these last two home matches and the situations we were in and fight through and find a way to get a win. I'm happy and proud, and it shows the training we've been doing is starting to pay off."

On responding after dropping third set and falling behind 2-1: (Graystone)
"They responded to me all day. The first set was not good volleyball on our side, I wasn't happy about it at all. We pulled them aside and gave them a gentle reminder of what we're trying to do here today, and they came out and won the second set and then we were on it from there. But every time we asked them to do something today — even in the fifth set when we called a timeout down 12-9 — they did the job, they responded and they let us coach them. It was really good to see."

On playing her last game in the United Supermarkets Arena: (Rhodes)
"I'm so glad to wear the Double T and Getting the win sealed it off. I'm just grateful for the opportunity and the win was the best thing today."

UP NEXT: Tech will travel to Austin to take on the No. 4 Texas Longhorns for its final game of the season.