Tech Heads to Boulder
October 13, 2009 | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 13, 2009
LuBBOCK, Texas - Texas Tech Volleyball heads into Boulder for its Wednesday match hoping to break into the win column versus a Colorado team looking to do the same. The match, which will be video streamed from the Colorado Web site, begins at 8 p.m. Central Time (7 p.m. MT).
The Buffaloes are 5-11 overall and are hoping to stop an 0-7 slide (all Big 12 matches), while Tech (2-13) is in the midst of an 8-game skid and is hoping to turn around a season which has begun with an 0-6 conference record. In many ways, the mirror images don't stop there for the two squads.
Both programs are led by first-year head coaches, as Liz Kritza took over the Buffs' program prior to the 2009 campaign, as Tech's head coach Trish Knight took the reins.
Becah Fogle leads the Colorado offense, averaging 3.34 kills per set, while Tech is led by Amanda Dowdy's 3.04 kills per set. Kaitlyn Burkett has dished out 7.18 assists per set for Colorado, while her counterpart, Karlyn Meyers averages 7.63. As a team the Buffs hit for a .151 average, while Tech's efficiency is currently at .134. Colorado has allowed 714 opponent kills and Tech has allowed 707.
Both programs feature losses in conference to ranked programs, Iowa State, Baylor and Nebraska, along with faltering to Oklahoma and Missouri. While Colorado has faced No. 2 Texas, the Red Raiders host the Longhorns on Saturday. Kansas beat the Buffs in four sets at the end of September, while Tech has yet to face a Kansas squad. It is fair to say that both programs would benefit from a big emotional boost by beating the other.
Historically, Tech has not fared well against the Buffs, having only beaten Colorado four times in 26 matches. The Red Raiders last win over Colorado was a September event in 2007 in Lubbock and their last win in Boulder was during the 2002 season.
"The time to stop making excuses is now," head coach Trish Knight said before leaving for the Mountain Time zone. "It is time for us to put everything together and compete for however many sets it takes. That's what we've been preparing to do."
On Saturday, Oct. 17, the unbeaten No. 2 Texas Longhorns will head to Lubbock for a 6:30 p.m. match with Tech. It is Pink Night as Texas Tech Volleyball highlights the important work of the Susan G. Komen foundation in the fight against breast cancer. All fans wearing pink will be admitted free of charge. An autograph session with the Red Raiders will follow the match.
