Texas Tech Athletics
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Tech Fights to the End, Falls, 3-1
November 16, 2002 | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 16, 2002
LUBBOCK, Texas - The upstart Texas Tech volleyball team saw its three-match win streak come to a hard-fought end Saturday night at the Gregory Gym as it fell to the Texas Longhorns, 3-1, in Austin, Texas.
Trailing 2-1 in the match, the Red Raiders (11-14, 6-10) battled back from a 16-13 deficit in game four to even the score at 27 before falling 30-18. While trying to erase a 20-16 hole, Tech managed to pull within two, 21-19. At that point Kelly Johnson (Fort Worth, Texas) twice looked to have closed the gap to one, but Texas managed to save balls from the crowd and keep the rally going before extending its lead to three and winning the game, 30-28, and the match, 3-1.
Tech was led by Johnson who recorded 20 kills, 11 digs and three aces. Angela Mooney (Lubbock, Texas) and Melissa McGehee (Kerrville, Texas) each tacked on 14 kills while Jessy Herrera (New Braunfels, Texas) led the team with 17 digs.
The first game of the night went to the 'Horns, 30-25, who had to hold off the Red Raider attack after jumping out to a quick 4-0 lead. Tech answered Texas' opening run with a 5-0 run of its aided by a pair of Johnson kills and an Ann Romjue (Papillion, Neb.) ace, before leading by as many as two, 8-6.
Texas (20-7, 11-6) knotted the score up at 9-all, and never let the Red Raiders take another lead in the game, although Tech did manage to tie the score up twice more at 17 and 19. A crucial point in the game came with the Red Raiders trailing 24-21. A Longhorn overpass was buried by Johnson, but an inadvertent whistle nullified the point. Tech pulled to within two, 26-24, but Texas would close the game on a 4-1 run.
Game two started out as a dogfight between the two schools. After seven ties the score was knotted at 12-12. Then Texas' Mia Topic led the Longhorns on a 7-0 run. Tech answered with a 5-2 run and closed the gap to three, 21-18. The Red Raiders continued to put pressure on Texas both on offense and defense and knotted the score up at 25-all. Texas Tech took just its second lead of the game at 26-25. Trailing, 29-27, Texas fought off one game point but Mooney's eighth kill of the night tied the match up at 1-1 heading into the intermission.
The Longhorns stole the momentum from Tech in game three by scoring five of the first six points. The Raiders closed the gap to two, 5-3, but could not stop the streaking UT hitters. Texas committed just five attack errors while hitting .357. In contrast, Tech was held to just .176 hitting as the 'Horns came up with 14 digs.
The Red Raiders will conclude its two-match road swing on Wednesday, Nov. 20, at 7 p.m. when it travels to Boulder, Colo., to face off with the Buffaloes at the Coors Event Center.
