Saturday, September 22
Lubbock, Texas
2:00 p.m.
West Virginia University
7-7, 0-2
1
at
3
Texas Tech
13-3, 2-0
1
2
3
4
F
West Virginia
16
25
23
16
1
Texas Tech
25
23
25
25
3
Photo by: Katie MacCrory
WVU Suffers Big 12 Loss at Texas Tech
September 22, 2018 04:26 PM | Volleyball
LUBBOCK, Texas – Despite a season-high 21 kills from junior outside hitter Katelyn Evans, the Mountaineers suffered a 3-1 loss to Big 12 foe Texas Tech Saturday afternoon, inside United Supermarkets Arena, in Lubbock, Texas. The Red Raiders (13-3, 2-0) took the match from the Mountaineers (7-7, 0-2) in set scores of 25-16, 23-25, 25-23 and 25-16.
"I thought we did some nice things out there, but we weren't consistent enough," fourth-year coach Reed Sunahara said. "Texas Tech played well. We need to learn to stay aggressive, especially in close matches."
Evans had a team-best 21 kills for WVU, followed by freshman outside hitter Kristin Lux with 11.
Sophomore defensive specialist Alexa Hasting had a season-high 22 digs, while freshman middle blocker Kristina Jordan led the Mountaineers' blocking efforts with four block assists.
Freshman setter Lacey Zerwas dished 41 of the team's 49 assists and recorded one service in the match.
WVU finished the match hitting .147 with 52 kills and five team blocks.
Evans had four kills on seven attempts for a .429 hitting percentage, but it wasn't enough, as the Mountaineers dropped the first set, 25-16. Six in a row from the Red Raiders put them ahead, 21-11, before a TTU service error stopped the run. A pair of kills from Evans and a WVU block brought the Mountaineers within seven at 22-15. However, TTU reclaimed the momentum and took three of the last four points, earning a 25-16 win for a 1-0 lead in the match.
WVU started the second set in an 8-2 hole before the Mountaineers used a pair of kills from junior right side hitter Natania Levak and a TTU attacking error to come within two, down 15-13, midway through the frame. West Virginia continued to put up a fight down the stretch, as Evans found the floor twice to tie the set at 20-all, forcing Texas Tech to call its first timeout of the stanza. Zerwas served up an ace out of the stoppage for WVU's first lead of the frame at 21-20. Sophomore middle blocker Katie DeMeo put down a late kill, but the Red Raiders hung around, scoring back-to-back points for the 23-22 advantage. However, Levak came through with another kill before Jordan and Lux teamed up for a pair of blocks to give WVU the 25-23 win, tying the match at one set apiece.
Attempting to carry the momentum into the third stanza, sophomore middle blocker Briana Lynch and Evans each put down a kill for the 10-9 lead. Texas Tech took a timeout, scoring seven of nine points out of the stoppage for the 16-12 advantage. West Virginia took a timeout of its own to regroup, as Lynch found the middle of the floor late in the frame to bring the Mountaineers within two at 21-19. Texas Tech increased its lead to two off a kill from Emily Hill, but Lux came up with a huge swing to cut WVU's deficit to one at 22-21. Zerwas and Jordan tied the set at 23-all off a block. Unfortunately, a pair of TTU kills allowed the Red Raiders to take the 2-1 match lead.
Evans notched four straight kills late in the fourth to bring the Mountaineers within four at 19-15, but it wasn't enough, as the Red Raiders scored four straight points of their own, ending the frame in favor of Texas Tech for the 25-16 win and 3-1 match victory.
Of note, the Mountaineers are five wins away from collecting their 700th win in program history. West Virginia currently holds a 695-730 all-time record since its inaugural season in 1974.
Looking ahead, the Mountaineers head back to Morgantown for a pair of Big 12 matches against Kansas State (Sept. 26) and Texas (Sept. 29). The squad will host a Luau Night on Wednesday, Sept. 26, at 6 p.m., against K-State. Mountaineer fans are encouraged to wear Hawaiian-themed gear, as the first 250 fans in attendance will receive a free lei or a pair of WVU sunglasses.
Additionally, the Sept. 29 match against perennial national contender Texas (1 p.m.) will feature a fan giveaway for the first 500 fans, courtesy of Coca-Cola. The match also will be a part of WVU volleyball's Alumni Weekend. The Mountaineers will sign autographs following the match.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
"I thought we did some nice things out there, but we weren't consistent enough," fourth-year coach Reed Sunahara said. "Texas Tech played well. We need to learn to stay aggressive, especially in close matches."
Evans had a team-best 21 kills for WVU, followed by freshman outside hitter Kristin Lux with 11.
Sophomore defensive specialist Alexa Hasting had a season-high 22 digs, while freshman middle blocker Kristina Jordan led the Mountaineers' blocking efforts with four block assists.
Freshman setter Lacey Zerwas dished 41 of the team's 49 assists and recorded one service in the match.
WVU finished the match hitting .147 with 52 kills and five team blocks.
Evans had four kills on seven attempts for a .429 hitting percentage, but it wasn't enough, as the Mountaineers dropped the first set, 25-16. Six in a row from the Red Raiders put them ahead, 21-11, before a TTU service error stopped the run. A pair of kills from Evans and a WVU block brought the Mountaineers within seven at 22-15. However, TTU reclaimed the momentum and took three of the last four points, earning a 25-16 win for a 1-0 lead in the match.
WVU started the second set in an 8-2 hole before the Mountaineers used a pair of kills from junior right side hitter Natania Levak and a TTU attacking error to come within two, down 15-13, midway through the frame. West Virginia continued to put up a fight down the stretch, as Evans found the floor twice to tie the set at 20-all, forcing Texas Tech to call its first timeout of the stanza. Zerwas served up an ace out of the stoppage for WVU's first lead of the frame at 21-20. Sophomore middle blocker Katie DeMeo put down a late kill, but the Red Raiders hung around, scoring back-to-back points for the 23-22 advantage. However, Levak came through with another kill before Jordan and Lux teamed up for a pair of blocks to give WVU the 25-23 win, tying the match at one set apiece.
Attempting to carry the momentum into the third stanza, sophomore middle blocker Briana Lynch and Evans each put down a kill for the 10-9 lead. Texas Tech took a timeout, scoring seven of nine points out of the stoppage for the 16-12 advantage. West Virginia took a timeout of its own to regroup, as Lynch found the middle of the floor late in the frame to bring the Mountaineers within two at 21-19. Texas Tech increased its lead to two off a kill from Emily Hill, but Lux came up with a huge swing to cut WVU's deficit to one at 22-21. Zerwas and Jordan tied the set at 23-all off a block. Unfortunately, a pair of TTU kills allowed the Red Raiders to take the 2-1 match lead.
Evans notched four straight kills late in the fourth to bring the Mountaineers within four at 19-15, but it wasn't enough, as the Red Raiders scored four straight points of their own, ending the frame in favor of Texas Tech for the 25-16 win and 3-1 match victory.
Of note, the Mountaineers are five wins away from collecting their 700th win in program history. West Virginia currently holds a 695-730 all-time record since its inaugural season in 1974.
Looking ahead, the Mountaineers head back to Morgantown for a pair of Big 12 matches against Kansas State (Sept. 26) and Texas (Sept. 29). The squad will host a Luau Night on Wednesday, Sept. 26, at 6 p.m., against K-State. Mountaineer fans are encouraged to wear Hawaiian-themed gear, as the first 250 fans in attendance will receive a free lei or a pair of WVU sunglasses.
Additionally, the Sept. 29 match against perennial national contender Texas (1 p.m.) will feature a fan giveaway for the first 500 fans, courtesy of Coca-Cola. The match also will be a part of WVU volleyball's Alumni Weekend. The Mountaineers will sign autographs following the match.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Team Stats
WVU
TTU
Kills
52
61
Errors
30
14
Attempts
150
140
Hitting %
.147
.336
Points
59.0
74.0
Assists
49
59
Aces
2
3
Blocks
5.0
10.0
Game Leaders
Kills
21
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Players Mentioned
MB
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
DS
/ Volleyball
MB
/ VolleyballRS
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballMB
/ Volleyball
S
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