Texas Tech Volleyball Heads to Norman to Face Oklahoma
October 27, 2015 | Women's Volleyball
The Red Raiders look to sweep Oklahoma for the first time since 2002.
Oct. 27, 2015
LUBBOCK, Texas - Texas Tech volleyball opens the second half of the Big 12 slate on the road at Oklahoma on Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 7 p.m. on FOX Sports Southwest Plus.
It will be the 68th meeting between the Red Raiders (13-9, 2-6) and Oklahoma (7-12, 1-6). Tech racked up a 3-2 victory in a five-set thriller to open Big 12 play on Sept. 23. It was the first time since 2005 the Red Raiders had defeated their conference foe, which improved their lead on the all-time series, 35-32.
WHERE THE WIND COMES SWEEPING DOWN THE PLAIN
Oklahoma is 7-12 overall this season, with a 1-6 Big 12 record. Their lone conference victory came in Norman against Baylor, 3-1, on Oct. 3. OU has been efficient on the attack, putting together a hitting percentage of .248, which has translated to 1,011 team kills this season, both ranking third in the conference. They also rank third in blocks per set (2.28) and team total blocks (175.5) in the Big 12. Leading OU on the attack is Kimmy Gardiner, who has supplied 201 kills this season. She is followed closely by Madison Ward (192) and Kierra Holst (185) in the category. Taylor Migliazzo and Gardiner are the team leaders in digs, putting up 192 and 191, respectively.
NEXT ON THE AGENDA
The Red Raiders have a quick turnaround, as they'll return home to take on No. 2 Texas on Friday, Oct. 30, at 6 p.m. at the United Supermarkets Arena. Earlier this season, Texas Tech battled the Longhorns in Austin and held a 23-19 advantage late in the second set before a Texas rally helped close out the frame and eventually the match, 3-0. The last win for the Red Raiders in the series came at home in a three-set sweep on Nov. 1, 2000.
SETTING THE TONE
The Red Raiders are 10-0 this season when winning the first set of a match. In those sets, Texas Tech has averaged an attack percentage of .336, with a season-high of .800 against Northeastern. The Red Raiders put up 13 kills on 15 attacks and only one error in that set on Sept. 5. Tech is 50-13 under head coach Don Flora when claiming the first frame.
CLEAN SWINGS
Junior Lauren Douglass is in the midst of a special season donning the Scarlet and Black, ranked inside the top 20 in the country in hitting percentage at .407. For five-straight weeks, she led the Big 12 and was ranked in the top 15 in the country in the category, climbing all the way to No. 2 earlier in the season. In eight matches this year, Douglass has posted at least 11 kills, including 17 (Oklahoma) and 11 (Iowa State) in the first two conference contests. She also set a career-high with 20 kills against Portland State on Sept. 18. Douglass owns the top three single-match hitting percentages in the conference this season, her top is a .688 clip against Columbia on Sept. 4.
SPREADING THE WEALTH
As the main distributor of the Red Raider offense, junior Marguerite Grubb didn't waste any time picking up where she left off last season. Grubb has put together an average of 10.72 assists per set, as she matched a season-high 52 against Oklahoma on Sept. 23. Her marks place her third in the conference with a total of 772 assists. She has tallied 40+ assists in seven matches this season. If she averages 28.5 assists per match during the rest of the season, she will eclipse the 1,000 assist mark. So far this season, she has averaged 35.1 per match.
After playing for a few plays at Texas, freshman Morgan Reed checked in at setter for the Red Raiders against Kansas State after an injury held her out of action. She racked up a team-high 26 assists and also came one dig away from notching a double-double in that contest.
NOT SO FAST MY FRIEND
2015 is the first season the Big 12 utilized the video replay system and coaching challenges. Against OU, head coach Don Flora went two-for-three in challenges, including a pivotal overturned call in the fifth set, which gave Tech a 9-5 lead late in the match. At Iowa State, Flora was one-for-two, overturning the original call of a no-touch by a Cyclone defender. This season, Flora is four-for-10 overall on challenges this season, winning his most recent challenge at Texas.
The Big 12 and the Big Ten are the only two conferences in the NCAA that utilize the instant replay and coaching challenges. Coaches will be permitted three challenges per match, and those challenges will have no effect on the number of allowed timeouts a team has remaining. The challenge must be lodged immediately following the rally and before the first referee's arm is extended to start the service for the next point. Only one challenge per rally will be allowed. Coaches will be allowed to request instant replay challenges only to review these instances:
-If the ball landed in or out
-If the ball made contact with a player
-If a net violation occurred
-Foot faults on a serve
THE WONDER YEARS
The freshman have played a significant role in this year's club. Katy Keenan led the team in kills with nine in the victory over Navy at the Kristen Dickmann Invitational. Starting in 14 matches, she's notched 99 kills for an attack percentage of .271, which ranks second on the team. Reyn Akiu put together a season-high 15 dig performance against Oklahoma in the Big 12 opener. She has tallied 116 digs and 11 service aces during her time on the court. Sarah Redding has led the team in kills in each of the last three matches, tying a career-high 11 against K-State. She has recorded 107 kills, 24 digs and 20 blocks, and Katelyn Bryant has racked up 34 digs in their first year donning the Scarlet and Black. Morgan Reed racked up a team-high 26 assists, as well as nine digs, in the last match against Kansas State, her first full match of the season.
ON FIRE
Freshman Sarah Redding has led the Red Raiders in kills in each of the last three matches, all with double-digit figures. At West Virginia, she notched a career-high 11, which she equaled against Kansas State on Oct. 24. In the match against the Wildcats, she only committed one error behind a hitting clip of .625.