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Red Raider Volleyball Falls to No. 2 Texas
October 30, 2015 | Women's Volleyball
It was the second time this season Katy Keenan has led the team in kills, the first at Navy on Sept. 12.
Oct. 30, 2015
LUBBOCK, Texas -- Texas Tech volleyball (13-11, 2-8) dropped a tough battle to No. 2 Texas (19-2, 9-1), 3-0, on Friday, Oct. 30, at the United Supermarkets Arena, to a crowd of 1008, the most at home this season
The Longhorns won in straight-sets: 25-19, 25-18 and 25-19.
"There was a lot of good volleyball tonight," head coach Don Flora said. "One of our items of focus was staying aggressive, and we did that. It is valuable to see growth from our athletes.
"At the same time, it is the need to execute play-to-play that we need to continue to develop."
Freshman Katy Keenan led the team on the attack for the second time this season, posting eight kills and a hitting clip of .368. The last time she notched the team-high in kills was at Navy on Sept. 12, when she racked up nine. She also led the team in blocks with three.
Junior setter Marguerite Grubb dished out assists on 22 of Tech's 31 kills.
On the other side of the ball, digs were grouped together, with senior Carlie Foust recording the team-high of nine. Ashley Morgan (8), Jenna Allen (7) and Reyn Akiu (7) followed closely behind, combining for 39 overall.
The Red Raiders and the Longhorns battled early on back-and-forth, with Texas holding a one-point lead at 8-7. The Longhorns moved ahead to make it 11-8, but Tech rallied to eventually tie the set at 14. Texas would break through with another three-point cushion, a lead they would hold the rest of the frame. With the set at 22-19, the Longhorns were able to take another three-point swing and close out the first set, 25-19.
Ybanez led the team in kills after the first set, connecting on three of her five attempts. Douglass, Keenan and Allen each had two kills to make up Tech's nine kills in the set one. The Red Raiders put up 17 digs in the first set, with Reed and Morgan each tallying four.
Tech fell behind early in the second set, facing a 7-2 deficit. Fighting back to gain cut into the Texas lead, the Red Raiders stayed within striking distance at 19-14 after a timeout. The Longhorns fought back through the break to build a comfortable lead, closing out the Red Raiders, 25-18, to take a 2-0 lead at the half.
The final set started with a 9-3 Longhorn lead, but a timeout helped Tech regroup and battle back to within four at 9-5. The Red Raiders would fight to stay within striking distance at four points on six different occasions in the third frame, clawing back to a 22-19 deficit. However, the Longhorns would keep the edge and finish the match with a 25-19 set three victory.
Up next for the Red Raiders is a home contest against Baylor on Wednesday, Nov. 4, at 6 p.m. at the United Supermarkets Arena on FOX Sports Southwest.
