Volleyball travels to Ames

LUBBOCK, Texas – The Red Raiders (8-6, 0-2) will face (RV) Iowa State (11-2, 1-1) on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. CT in Ames. The Cyclones are coming off a strong weekend of play as the Red Raiders look to bounce back in week two of Big 12 play.

Iowa State defeated No. 23 Utah in five sets before falling to No. 14 BYU, both matches being on the road, as Tech dropped its match to No. 20 Baylor and Houston but did not make it easy on their opponents.

Quick Recap:
Tech dropped both of its first two Big 12 matchups last week, falling to No. 20 Baylor and then to Houston, both by a score of 3-1. The Red Raiders still had some strong performances out of players like Sierra Grizzle - who was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season - and Kalli Jioshvili Ravva and Addie Kanouff who both continue to have strong offensive performances for Tony Graystone's team.

Reagan Engler is back in action after missing the last three matches with an injury - she returned against Houston but was a bit limited in her play. Taylor Bahnub and Shelby Ignash had strong outings in Houston as they both finished the match with five blocks and were a key piece in the Red Raiders third and fourth set surges.

Quick Hits:

Freshman outside hitter Kalli Jioshvili Ravva was incredible in her first weekend in Lubbock, Texas. She recorded back-to-back double doubles against Ole Miss and Incarnate Word. The French native tallied 54 kills in the Red Raider Classic including 22 against Ole Miss, which made her the first Red Raider this season to eclipse the 20-kill mark. She got it done on defense as well, recording a career-high 21 digs against Incarnate Word to help her finish the weekend with 40 digs.
For most players, a "sophomore slump" is a common occurrence. For Addie Kanouff, her sophomore year has been a welcomed sight for the Red Raiders. After appearing in just four matches last season, the 6'5 rightside has taken on a much bigger role this year and she has performed brilliantly. Kanouff is currently first on the team in kills (139), points (157.0) and second on the team in hitting percentage (.257), attacks (354) and blocks (32.0). She recorded a career-high 16 kills in Tech's win over UAlbany and has recorded three matches where she has hit over .350 with 10+ kills.
After seeing limited time in her last two seasons at Houston, Ashlyn Bellamy has made an immediate impact for the Red Raiders this year and her contributions were highlighted by a career performance in Tech's comeback win over Incarnate Word. Against the Cardinals, Bellamy recorded a career-high 23 kills to go along with a career-high 20 dig and did it all while hitting just under .300. The junior has played in all 14 matches this season, starting 12 of them and has been one of the team's best backrow defenders, attackers and servers this season.
Reagan Engler is a star. The junior has moved to outside hitter this offseason in an effort to convert her to a six-rotation player, something she's never done in her career. In her first match in this new role she recorded her first career double-double and notched career highs in kills (16) and digs (10). Engler was named the MVP of the FAU Tournament after totaling 42 kills, 24 digs and 5.0 blocks. Her impact was felt both in her play and leadership as she was vocal in correcting her teammates when needed and also praising them when they made the adjustments.
Freshmen Kenna McKenzie and Shelby Ignash have seen increased playing time over the course of the preseason as they continue to take advantage of their opportunities. Setters Peyton Dunn and Katelyn Cochran have done a stellar job of setting up their hitter for success as Cochran recently recorded 52 assists in a match, a career best. Sierra Grizzle is top 10 in the country in total digs (277) and currently leads the Big 12 in digs per set (4.78) and total digs.

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Players Mentioned

Taylor Bahnub

Ashlyn Bellamy

Katelyn Cochran

Peyton Dunn

Reagan Engler

Sierra Grizzle

Shelby Ignash

Kalli Jioshvili Ravva

Addie Kanouff

Kenna McKenzie