Texas Tech Athletics
West Virginia
Red Raider Volleyball Powers Past West Virginia
October 14, 2015 | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 14, 2015
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. -- Texas Tech volleyball got back in the win column thanks to a 3-0 victory over West Virginia on Wednesday, Oct. 14, snapping a four-match losing skid.
The Red Raiders swept the Mountaineers: 25-20, 25-19 and 25-20.
Freshman Sarah Redding posted a career night, leading the team in kills with 11. Her previous best of 10 came against Maryland on Sept. 11. She was one of three Red Raiders to record an above .300 hitting percentage (.333), with freshman Katy Keenan and junior Lauren Douglass rattling off clips of .417 and .412, respectively.
Douglass finished with nine kills, while sophomore Alyssa Ybanez picked up seven. The Red Raiders totaled 43 kills on an attack percentage of .292 on Wednesday night.
Head Coach Don Flora
Redding put up five kills in the first frame, while Grubb assisted on 12 of Tech's 16 kills. The Red Raiders rattled off a hitting percentage of .333 in set one.
"Having Sarah Redding put the ball away earlier was a key to our balance tonight," Flora said. "Both of our middles were able to be effective in transition."
Tech turned a 7-5 lead into a 10-5 advantage to start off the second set. The Red Raiders rattled off five of the next six points to make it 15-6, holding a comfortable lead until the Mountaineers battled their way back to a 20-16 deficit. From there, Tech got timely kills from Redding, Katy Keenan, Ybanez and Fragniere to thwart a Mountaineer comeback and take the set, 25-19.
Redding added six kills in the second frame, making her the first in the match to reach double-digit marks in the category at 11 through two sets. Grubb replicated her performance in the first set, with 12 more assists. Five Red Raiders had at least two digs through the first half, with Foust leading the way with eight.
The Red Raiders began the third set with a 6-1 advantage, but the Mountaineers rallied to tie the frame at seven. Tech responded well out of the timeout, grabbing the next two points. After the Red Raiders built a 19-14 advantage, West Virginia pulled within two after rattling off four of the next five. However, Tech put down the gas pedal and closed out the match with five of the final six points to take set three, 25-20.
Douglass swung for five of Tech's 14 kills in the third set. Keeping up with tradition of the match, Grubb produced another 12-assist set, finishing with 36.
Three Red Raiders stuffed three or more blocks in the win over the Mountaineers. Douglass racked up four, one unassisted, while Keenan and Ybanez each had three. Tech also tallied three service aces, with the fiery shots coming from Douglass, Audrey Fragniere and Ashley Morgan.
"It was important to keep pressure on the Mountaineers from our service line," Flora said. "Serving needs to continue to be a key focus for us."
It'll be a quick turnaround for the Red Raiders, as they'll head south to Austin for battle with the No. 2 Texas Longhorns on Saturday, Oct. 17, at 5 p.m. on the Longhorn Network.
