Wednesday, September 27
Lubbock, Texas
7:00 p.m.
West Virginia University
at
Texas Tech
Photo by: Steven Prunty
WVU Hits the Road for a Big 12 Match vs. Texas Tech
September 26, 2017 06:12 PM | Volleyball
The Mountaineers take on the Red Raiders in its first Big 12 road match of the season
LUBBOCK, Texas - The West Virginia University volleyball team travels to Lubbock, Texas, for its first Big 12 road match of the season, as the team faces Texas Tech on Wednesday, Sept. 27, at 7 p.m. ET inside the United Supermarkets Arena.
WVU (12-3, 1-1) and Texas Tech (11-3, 0-1) will clash for the 13th time since 1975 on Wednesday. Last season, West Virginia tied the all-time series at six apiece, as the Mountaineers swept the Red Raiders for the first time since 2014. In its last meeting, West Virginia took Texas Tech to five sets, claiming the 3-2 victory inside the WVU Coliseum on Oct. 29, 2016.
West Virginia opened league play in its last week of competition, splitting its matches vs. TCU and then-No. 6 Texas at the WVU Coliseum. The Mountaineers won its league opener vs. the Horned Frogs, 3-1, on Sept. 20, but dropped a five-set heartbreaker to the Longhorns on Sept. 23. With the win against TCU, WVU tied the team's longest win streak since 2014, tallying 10 straight victories. The team's 10-match win streak started on Sept. 2 with a sweep of Tennessee at the Diet Coke Classic in Minneapolis.
"I thought for us to hang with Texas was great, but you have to win those games," said coach Reed Sunahara. "The intensity has to last the whole match. We have to take one match at a time. Good teams win on the road, so we have to make sure we take care of the ball, and then good things will come."
Sophomore outside hitter Payton Caffrey finished the week leading the Big 12 in service aces with six. She also ranks in the top 10 in kills (seventh), digs (10th) and points (fifth). Senior Mia Swanegan ranked second with a .486 attacking percentage, and sophomore Erin Slinde was fourth with 11.22 assists per set. Freshman Alexa Hasting was fourth with 3.89 digs per set, and freshman Lindsay Proctor finished seventh with .33 aces per set. In addition, Caffrey's 21 kills against Texas were the second-most in the league.
"We have to make sure we take care of our side of the court," Sunahara said. "We want to win every match, and that is the goal for everyone. We just have to keep getting better, and I think we are getting one percent better every day."
Through 15 matches, Caffrey leads the Mountaineers in kills with 170, Slinde leads in assists with 549, Hasting leads in digs with 182, and Swanegan leads in blocking at 63.0.
As a team, West Virginia is hitting .252 and holding its opponents to a .156 clip, while out blocking its opponents, 125.5-99.5.
Looking ahead, the Mountaineers will play host to Kansas on Wednesday, Oct. 4 at 6 p.m. ET.
WVU (12-3, 1-1) and Texas Tech (11-3, 0-1) will clash for the 13th time since 1975 on Wednesday. Last season, West Virginia tied the all-time series at six apiece, as the Mountaineers swept the Red Raiders for the first time since 2014. In its last meeting, West Virginia took Texas Tech to five sets, claiming the 3-2 victory inside the WVU Coliseum on Oct. 29, 2016.
West Virginia opened league play in its last week of competition, splitting its matches vs. TCU and then-No. 6 Texas at the WVU Coliseum. The Mountaineers won its league opener vs. the Horned Frogs, 3-1, on Sept. 20, but dropped a five-set heartbreaker to the Longhorns on Sept. 23. With the win against TCU, WVU tied the team's longest win streak since 2014, tallying 10 straight victories. The team's 10-match win streak started on Sept. 2 with a sweep of Tennessee at the Diet Coke Classic in Minneapolis.
"I thought for us to hang with Texas was great, but you have to win those games," said coach Reed Sunahara. "The intensity has to last the whole match. We have to take one match at a time. Good teams win on the road, so we have to make sure we take care of the ball, and then good things will come."
Sophomore outside hitter Payton Caffrey finished the week leading the Big 12 in service aces with six. She also ranks in the top 10 in kills (seventh), digs (10th) and points (fifth). Senior Mia Swanegan ranked second with a .486 attacking percentage, and sophomore Erin Slinde was fourth with 11.22 assists per set. Freshman Alexa Hasting was fourth with 3.89 digs per set, and freshman Lindsay Proctor finished seventh with .33 aces per set. In addition, Caffrey's 21 kills against Texas were the second-most in the league.
"We have to make sure we take care of our side of the court," Sunahara said. "We want to win every match, and that is the goal for everyone. We just have to keep getting better, and I think we are getting one percent better every day."
Through 15 matches, Caffrey leads the Mountaineers in kills with 170, Slinde leads in assists with 549, Hasting leads in digs with 182, and Swanegan leads in blocking at 63.0.
As a team, West Virginia is hitting .252 and holding its opponents to a .156 clip, while out blocking its opponents, 125.5-99.5.
Looking ahead, the Mountaineers will play host to Kansas on Wednesday, Oct. 4 at 6 p.m. ET.
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