Texas Tech Athletics
6-1,0-0Big 12
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
4-3,0-0Southland
Red Raiders complete reverse sweep of UTRGV
September 12, 2024 | Women's Volleyball
Texas Tech rallies after dropping two early sets
Edinburg, Texas – In front of a program-record 2,771 fans, Texas Tech (6-1) spoiled UTRGV's (4-3) home opener on Thursday night in the UTRGV Fieldhouse in comeback fashion, reverse sweeping the Vaqueros and taking the 3-2 win.
The match was a true back-and-forth affair. Within each set there was a comeback followed by a comeback to that as the two teams tied 23 times and changed the lead seven times. Both teams hit over .240, recorded 77 digs and blocked 9.0 attacks. The Vaqueros finished with one more serving ace than Tech, but also had one more service error.
Brynn Wiliams shined for the Red Raiders, finishing with 16 kills on an impressive .350 hitting percentage. Mia Wesley led the team in kills with 17 and recorded her second double-double of the season, racking up 10 digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
UTRGV fed off the crowd in set one hitting .233 while holding Tech to under .160 hitting, and took the set 25-21. The Vaqueros never had a lead greater than four but didn't need one as they went on a 4-1 run to close it out.
The Red Raiders fell behind 4-1 early in set two but then responded with four straight points to take the lead. The teams continued to trade runs before UTRGV got the last one, scoring two straight to win 26-24.
In a do-or-die third set, Tech did not shy away from the moment. After trading points early, Tech opened up a 10-6 lead and continued to lead the whole way, winning 25-21.
With the Red Raiders backs against the wall again in the fourth set, they again got to 10 points first. UTRGV was able to make it a one-point set and even tie it several times down the stretch, but the Red Raiders got two of the last three points to force a fifth set.
Tech jumped all over UTRGV with an 11-1 lead, but this was not a match of convincing set victories. The Vaqueros rallied back with a 9-1 run before the Red Raiders had enough and closed the match out on a 4-1 run to complete the reverse sweep and shock a record crowd for UTRGV.
NOTABLES:
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Hanna Borer and Katelyn Cochran split time at setter, Borer finishing with 21 assists and three kills while Cochran had 30 to go along with seven digs.
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Abby Dickinson tied her career high for serving aces with three and helped man the back line with 14 digs. Maddie Correa and Emily Contreras did their job on the back row as well, finishing with 24 and 14 digs, respectively.
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Emily Merrick reached double figures in kills with 10 and was in on two blocks. Reagan Engler and Aliyah McDonald combined for 11 kills, and both hit over .500 percent while Reagan Leinen added four kills to round out the major scorers for Tech.
UP NEXT: The Red Raiders will play a double header tomorrow beginning at 12:30 against Texas A&M – Corpus Christi.
