Volleyball Travels to Texas Tech
September 26, 2014 09:37 AM | General
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| Setter Lamprini Konstantinidou had a career-high 54 assists in the Mountaineers' 3-2 loss to No. 2 Texas. |
| Photo courtesy of WVU Photography |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Looking to rebound from a heartbreaking loss to No. 2 Texas, the West Virginia University volleyball team heads out for its first Big 12 road trip of the season when the squad travels to Lubbock, Texas, to face Texas Tech at the United Supermarkets Arena on Saturday. Match time is set for 3 p.m. CT/4 p.m. ET.
The Mountaineers (10-4, 0-1 Big 12) and the undefeated Red Raiders (13-0, 1-0 Big 12) have met six times prior to this weekend. Though TTU holds a 4-2 series lead, WVU won both of last season’s meetings and are 1-1 in matches played in Lubbock.
“We are really looking forward to our first conference road trip of the 2014 campaign,” said coach Jill Kramer. “Our effort and intensity in practice has been great and we are excited to see that carry over into the match on Saturday.”
The squads boast one nonconference opponent in common, as both teams faced Gardner-Webb in tournaments earlier this season. The Mountaineers swept the Runnin’ Bulldogs 3-0 at the Niagara Invitational on September 5, while Texas Tech took a 3-0 win at the Texas Tech Invite a week later.
On Wednesday, WVU became just the third team all season and the first unranked team to take a set from No. 2 Texas when they won the first two sets against the Longhorns before dropping the final three. Then-No. 11 Florida won a set before ultimately falling 3-1 to the Longhorns, while No. 9 Nebraska fell in five to Texas last week.
Nikki Attea’s career night was one of the highlights against the Longhorns. Attea led the squad with a career-best 20 kills and put up a season-best 14 digs for her first double double of the season, finishing with a career-high 21 points. Freshmen Gianna Gotterba and Lamprini Konstantinidou also had career nights, as Gotterba ended the match with 19 digs at libero and Konstantinidou recorded 54 assists. Hannah Sackett (14 kills) and Jordan Anderson (19 digs) also posted season highs for the Mountaineers.
For the second straight match, junior defensive specialist Brittany Sample will see a former high school teammate on the other side of the net. Sample played with Texas Tech outside hitter Jenna Allen at Hebron High School in Carrollton, Texas, where the duo guided the Hawks to the 2010 Texas 5A state title. Sample also played with Texas outside hitter Tiffany Baker, whom she faced on Wednesday.
Following their tilt with the Red Raiders, the Mountaineers will return to West Virginia where they will travel to Huntington on Wednesday for a match at Marshall. The start time for that match is set for 6:30 p.m.
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