Texas Tech Athletics
Colorado
Tech Stampedes Past Buffaloes, 3-0
November 20, 2002 | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 20, 2002
LUBBOCK, Texas - For just the second time in school history the Texas Tech volleyball team defeated the Colorado Buffaloes, 3-0 (30-26, 30-24, 31-29), at the Coors Event Center in Boulder, Colo., and in doing so moves into a seventh-place tie with the Buffs, just two back of Kansas.
Texas Tech (12-14, 7-10) used some late game heroics in game three to compete its only sweep of Colorado (13-14, 7-10). Trailing, 13-11, the Buffaloes went on a 6-1 run. The Red Raiders managed to battle back and knot the game up at 16-all. Again, trailing 22-19, CU managed another surge scoring four consecutive points to regain the lead, 23-22. The Raiders continued to show no signs of letting up as it took back the lead at 27-26. But a 3-0 CU run gave the Buffs game point at 29-27. Angela Mooney's 12th kill of the night fought off the first game point while an attack error on Colorado evened the score at 29. After fighting off two game points, Tech used a second consecutive attacking error by CU's Monique Gerlach to serve for the match. Senior Ann Romjue (Papillion, Neb.) buried a Melissa McGehee (Kerrville, Texas) set to keep the Red Raiders in position to make the postseason, 31-29.
Tech was lead on offense by seniors McGehee and Stacey Poole (Las Cruces, N.M.) who both hit .312 while recording 13 and eight kills, respectively. Sophomore Kelly Johnson led Tech in kills with 16.
The Red Raiders scored the first point of game one as the two schools battled back and forth to a 16-16 tie. In the midst of an 8-2 run, Tech managed to take a 22-18 lead, which it would never surrender en route to the 30-26 win. The Red Raiders hit an astonishing .412 for the game lead by Johnson and Poole who both hit .600.
Tech did not let up on the pressure in game two, as it opened the game with a 10-3 run. Colorado cut the lead in half at 12-6 before Tech went on a 3-1 run on a kill by Larua Grote (Austin, Texas), a service ace by Mooney, and a kill by Johnson. The Buffs pulled to within six at 20-14, but the scarlet and black would answer with a 3-0 run of its own. CU would go on a late 3-1 run to cut into the Tech lead, 29-24, but McGehee's seventh kill of the night ended the Colorado threat and gave the Red Raiders a commanding 2-0 lead at the intermission.
Tech will return home this weekend as it tries to even the score with the Texas A&M Aggies, who came from down, 11-7, in the fifth game to win, 15-12, in the first meeting of the season in College Station, Texas. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the United Spirit Arena.
