Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Athletics
8-5,1-0Big 12
.png&width=60&height=60&type=webp)
Kansas
9-2,0-1Big 12
Correa eclipses 700 career digs in ranked win over No. 17 Kansas
September 22, 2023 | Women's Volleyball
LUBBOCK, Texas – It was an impressive night for junior libero Maddie Correa as the San Antonio native surpassed 700 career digs to help the Texas Tech Red Raiders earn a top-20 reverse sweep and their first conference win of the year against the No. 17 Kansas Jayhawks, 22-25, 14-25, 25-17, 25-21, 15-12, on Friday night at the United Supermarkets Arena.
This victory is Tech's first ranked win in almost two years as the Red Raiders posted a win against No. 9 Baylor on Oct. 1, 2021. Snapping a seven-match win streak for Kansas (9-2, 0-1 Big 12) and giving the Jayhawks their first road loss of the season, Texas Tech (8-5, 1-0 Big 12) would earn a reverse sweep behind three double-digit kill and double-digit dig performances. Texas Tech also led the entire way in the final three sets of the match en route to its first Big 12 win of the season.
Correa led the team with a season-best 29 digs on the night while tying her career high in aces with three. Courtney O'Brien followed with 12 digs of her own and an ace, while Reese Rhodes tallied her fifth double-double of the season with 47 assists and 11 digs.
On the offensive end, Caitlin Dugan once again led the Red Raiders in kills for the fourth-consecutive match after totaling 18 slams and adding a season-best eight digs. Emily Merrick recorded 12 kills and a solo block, while Brynn Williams posted 10 kills and a career-high four aces in the match.
Leading the team in hitting percentage was freshman Reagan Engler who tallied nine kills on 22 swings for a .364 clip. Freshman Kate Hansen had a team-best seven blocks while adding eight slams to aid the Red Raiders in the win.
The Jayhawks took a 7-3 lead to start the first set but Tech chipped away at Kansas, eventually coming within a point on a kill from Hansen, 13-12. The Jayhawks held on as they would go up 20-17 before Tech went on a 3-0 run to tie it at 20-all. Going back-and-forth to end the set, Kansas would maintain their lead to close it out, 25-22.
Kansas began set two with another lead as they went up 15-11 heading into the media timeout on a kill from Toyosi Onabanjo. Tech would be held to only three more points in the set as Kansas took it by a 25-14 score.
A Kansas attack error and an ace from Williams started the third set for the Red Raiders. Kansas would make it 2-1 on a kill from London Davis, but Tech would answer with a 10-0 run. During that run, Hansen recorded three-straight points with a solo block, a kill and another solo block to make it 10-1. The Red Raiders would take advantage of the Jayhawks' errors and capitalize on their offensive power to lead 16-3. Kansas went on a little run, but the deficit was too big to overcome as a kill by Merrick would give Tech their first set, 25-17.
The Red Raiders stayed hot as they went on a 7-0 run, highlighted by kills from Dugan and Williams, to begin the fourth set. The Jayhawks slowly climbed their way out of a hole when they brought the set within two on a kill from Davis, 12-10. But, Tech would win the next three points to lead 15-10 on an ace from Williams. With the 20-18 advantage, Tech won three consecutive points on blocks from Engler and Williams and two kills from Williams. Another ace from Williams would secure the fourth set for Tech as the team won it, 25-21, to even the score.
In the fifth and final set, the Red Raiders went out to a 7-2 lead. Kansas would win eight of the next 11 points to tie the set at 10-all before a slam by Williams stopped the run. Tech didn't falter as the team won the remaining three points on kills from three different Red Raiders – Engler, Dugan and Rhodes – to win the set by a 15-12 score.
QUOTES
Head Coach Tony Graystone
Opening statement…
"Pretty sweet win tonight. A little bit of a flashback to the first match of the year with a reverse sweep, and tonight we just played a little bit better volleyball than that first match. The first set, I thought, was back and forth. I really liked how we were playing. We were just a little high error and it got away from us in the second set. We made one small adjustment for the third set and got our serving going, and that led to a lot more defense and transition, then it was a battle. So really, really proud of how we adjusted and stuck with it, we just had to grind it out."
On the mentality of the team heading into set three down 2-0…
"I don't know that we changed much about our message the whole match. I felt good about how we were playing. We just got stuck in a couple of rotations. In the second set, the score was ugly, but I don't think that told the whole story about how we were really playing. I felt like everybody stayed engaged. Nobody was checked out or going into that worst-case scenario. We stayed right in the moment. And then once we got off to that third set, the crowd started going up, and the team started to feel it. And then we felt like we were playing downhill."
On positive results for Texas Tech women's athletics…
"I think it's easy to get caught up in all the other stuff, which is natural, and I do it too. But beyond that, Tom [Stone] has a great team this year, they're playing terrific. That was a wonderful win last night and I'm really proud of them. We're just trying to keep up, so it's nice to see us get a crowd tonight and get a little momentum going."
On opening Big 12 play with a victory…
"Yeah, it's big. The first half of the Big 12 for us is exceptionally brutal… It's really tough. So, any win is a great win in this conference, it doesn't matter where or who. And so that's all you're trying to do, is just chase great wins and we got one tonight."
Junior libero Maddie Correa
On her season high night in digs and 700 career digs…
"Honestly, I didn't even know I had gotten 700 digs or anything like that, but it was just a big team win. I can't help but want to just continue to recognize all of my teammates and think of what they did today. Not one person won this whole thing, we all contributed in a way and it's just really exciting and fun to see it all come together."
On how she cheers on her team…
"I don't even remember – I say a lot of things. I just try to bring hype and some energy, get them going, especially my hitters. I try to bring them some energy and really help them to get some kills against a really good team."
UP NEXT
The Red Raiders are back in action against the No. 17-ranked Jayhawks on Saturday at 2 p.m. to close out the conference series.
.png&width=84&height=84&quality=100&type=webp)
