Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Athletics
Wyoming
Red Raiders open season in Wyoming
August 26, 2026 | Women's Volleyball
Tech volleyball will compete in the Rumble in the Rockies to begin the year
LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech volleyball heads to Laramie to take on Wyoming and St. Thomas in the Rumble in the Rockies this weekend starting on Friday at 7:30 p.m. CT against the Cowgirls followed by a 2 p.m. CT match against the Tommies on Saturday.
Tony Graystone enters his 11th season as the head coach for the Red Raiders and is third all-time in program history for wins. Tech's roster this season features 10 underclassmen and nine upperclassmen showing a good balance of youth and experience. Katelyn Cochran, Reagan Engler and Emily Contreras all enter their fourth year with the Red Raiders as they look to have the most successful year during their tenure.
The Red Raiders have faced Wyoming six times in its program history and hold a 4-2 record but are 1-1 in Laramie. As for St. Thomas, this will be the first time these teams face off. The Tommies have seen a strong rebuild over the last several seasons under coach Thanh Pham. They won a combined 14 matches from 2021-23 before making the NCAA Tournament last season with a 21-10 record and took No. 5 Iowa State to five sets in the programs first NCAA Tournament berth.
Quick Hits:
Maggie Boyd joins Texas Tech and indoor volleyball after spending four seasons at UCLA where she was named a four-time First Team All-American, the 2026 AVCA Beach Player of the Year and is a Beach National Champion. Her resume is as impressive as they come in collegiate athletics and her transition to the indoor game will be fun to watch.
Texas Tech brought in a crop of six talented freshmen, a majority of which have seen time early in Tech's two exhibition matches against ACU and UTEP. Sara Bowcutt, Elia Dinsmore and Faith Jordan have made the biggest impressions early on.
Alongside those freshmen four transfers joined the team, another group that has made a quick impact as Taylor Cook, Gretchen Sigman and Boyd look to be in the lineup early and often for Graystone's team.
Three Red Raiders enter their fourth season at Texas Tech. A rarity in today's transfer-heavy world, Reagan Engler, Katelyn Cochran and Emily Contreras will all provide a spark for the Red Raiders at some point or another throughout the season as they know Graystone's system better than anyone.
Shelby Ignash, Kenna McKenzie and Maddie Smotherman will look to build on strong freshmen campaigns in their second season at Texas Tech. Ignash and McKenzie shine near the latter part of the season while Smotherman showed her value coming in to serve in different rotations and making splashy plays on the back end of the defense.
Tatum Johnson and Taylor Bahnub didn't see a ton of action last season but made the most of their time as they look to continue to get into the lineup. Johnson, although undersized from a traditional middle, had a powerful swing and a vertical that more than makes up for the "lack" of height.
Tech has a good balance of returners (nine) and newcomers (10) this season. Last year was a mostly new team but this year the core of the team has been together and look to show that chemistry with their play on the court.
The Red Raiders were picked to finish last in the Big 12 in a poll done by the coaches of the league after a less-than-ideal 2025 season, but the optimism in Lubbock cannot be overlooked as the coaches have a bright outlook on this year's team and the future of the program.
