Texas Tech Athletics
Gardner-Webb
Red Raiders Power Past Bulldogs, Move to 8-0
September 12, 2014 | Women's Volleyball
Lauren Douglass and Audrey Fragniere combined for 20 kills in Texas Tech's sweep of Incarnate Word on Friday.
LUBBOCK, Texas -- The Texas Tech volleyball team logged its most accurate offensive performance of 2014, sweeping Gardner-Webb on day two of the Texas Tech Invitational, in Lubbock, Texas, on Friday.
The Red Raiders (8-0) started fast once again, dominating the first set, 25-14. Audrey Fragniere had four of her career-high 13 kills in the first set. Tech struck for a 25-17 win in the second set before finishing off the sweep with a 25-20 win in the third.
Texas Tech has yet to drop a set at the Texas Tech Invitational, and has won its last nine sets overall. The Red Raiders reach the 8-0 mark for the second time since 2004, with both occurrences coming under head coach Don Flora.
"Being at home makes a huge difference," Flora said. "Our preparation, emotional intensity and the routines and habits just feel a lot more rhythmic and more like who we want to be. Having our fans, the music and the energy makes such a difference. The United Supermarkets Arena is a great place to play. We're blessed to be able to be here at home."
It was Flora's first meeting against longtime friend and collegiate classmate, Gardner-Webb head coach Leo Sayles.
"Leo [Sayles] is doing some great things with that program," Flora said. "No matter what happened, those players stayed focused and never quit. That's a sign of things to come for them. There is a mutual respect there. It was great to compete against him."
As a team, Texas Tech hit over .300 for the second time this season, finishing at a season-high mark of .378. Texas Tech is now 10-0 under Flora when eclipsing the .300 mark. Fragniere led the way with a percentage of .579.
"The main thing with Audrey [Fragniere] is she is getting so much more comfortable with her teammates," Flora said. "That's a huge piece of the puzzle, but today she was also making the right decisions at the right times. She was taking some good cuts at the ball. When she's taking some of those big swings, she can really be a threat for us."
Jenna Allen also provided an offensive spark for the Red Raiders, registering 11 kills to go along with her six digs.
On the defensive end, the Red Raiders were a suffocating unit once again. Gardner-Webb finished with a hitting percentage of .167, meaning Texas Tech still has yet to allow an opponent to hit .200 this season. Texas Tech is 40-6 under Flora when holding opponents under .200. Freshman Ashley Morgan recorded nine digs to lead the way with for the Red Raiders.
The Red Raiders will play their final match of the Texas Tech Invitational tonight, when they face Texas State at 6 p.m., in the United Supermarkets Arena.
