Friday, September 25
Lubbock, Texas
7:00 p.m.
West Virginia University
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Texas Tech
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West Virginia
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Texas Tech
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Photo by: Jack Pepper
West Virginia Downs Texas Tech in Four
September 25, 2020 10:49 PM | Volleyball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University volleyball team collected its first win of the season with a 3-1 victory at Texas Tech on Friday evening, at the United Supermarkets Arena, in Lubbock, Texas. The Mountaineers (1-1) downed the Red Raiders (1-1) in set scores of 19-25, 25-21, 25-23 and 27-25.
With the win, WVU defeated TTU in Lubbock for the first time since Sept. 24, 2016.
"We had more information on Tech from last night's match, so we used that to our advantage," sixth-year coach Reed Sunahara said. "We talked in our meeting today, and they were committed to getting better and leaving Lubbock better than last night. That's what we worked on.
"We minimized our hitting errors. Everyone was committed to hitting smarter and making better decisions. That kept us in the game. When we needed kills, we got them down the stretch. When you have five people in double figures, you have a balanced attack, and (junior setter) Lacey (Zerwas) did a good job disturbing the ball to everyone."
A pair of Mountaineers hit about .450 in the match, notching double-digit kills in the process. Senior middle blocker Briana Lynch paved the way, posting a season-high 15 kills for a .462 hitting efficiency. Lynch recorded double figures for the second night in a row and posted her 14th double-digit match of her career. Sophomore middle blocker Emmy Ogogor also hit .462, recording a career-high 14 kills on the night.
Additionally, junior outside hitter Kristin Lux tallied a season-high 12 kills, while redshirt senior middle blocker Audrey Adams and junior outside hitter Natali Petrova each added 10 swings to round out the Mountaineers in double figures.
Lynch also led the squad's blocking efforts with five total blocks, while Petrova posted four bock assists.
Junior setter Lacey Zerwas dished out a season-high 50 assists, adding six digs and a pair of block assists.
Senior libero Alexa Hasting led the floor defense with a season-high 23 digs. Freshman outside hitter/defensive specialist Skye Stokes also notched double-digits for the second consecutive contest, digging 15 balls for a career high.
"Our defense really stepped up two nights in a row," Sunahara said. "We blocked better tonight, and we made some key digs. We were able to transition and capitalize on those opportunities to score, which we didn't really do so last night."
West Virginia capped the day hitting .273. The Mountaineers registered 62 kills on 154 total attempts with nine team blocks and 63 digs. Allison Bloss had 12 kills to lead the Red Raiders, who hit .275 with 64 kills and six and a half team blocks.
West Virginia got off to a rocky start in set one, falling behind 20-15 after a 3-0 Texas Tech run. A kill from Adams brought the Mountaineers within four at 22-18, but back-to-back points from TTU put the Red Raiders at set point. Ogogor came up with a big swing following a WVU timeout to keep the Mountaineers hopes alive. However, Texas Tech capitalized off a West Virginia attacking error to claim the 25-19 victory and 1-0 match lead.
Both squads exchanged points early in the second set before Adams and Zerwas teamed up for a block for the three-point lead at 17-14. TTU used a late kill and a WVU attacking error to pull within one, but a kill from Adams halted the Red Raiders' streak at 20-18. Lynch came in hot down the stretch, putting down back-to-back kills to help the Mountaineers reach set point. A Texas Tech kill on the next ball extended the frame, but Lux laid down her fourth kill of the match for the 25-21 second-set victory, tying the overall match at 1-1.
West Virginia took a 2-1 match lead with a 25-23 win in set three. With the frame tied at 16-all, Texas Tech scored five of the next seven points for the 21-18 lead. WVU called a timeout to regroup, as Ogogor placed one through the pins out of the break to cut the squad's deficit to two. The Mountaineers then capitalized on back-to-back Red Raider attacking errors to tie the set once again at 21-21. Texas Tech later called a timeout following a block from Petrova and Lynch that gave West Virginia the one-point edge at 23-22. Lynch found the floor out of the stoppage to put the Mountaineers at set point. However, the Red Raiders capitalized on a Mountaineer miscue to remain within one. WVU did not back down though, as another kill from Lynch handed WVU the 25-23 victory.
The Mountaineers put the match away in the fourth frame, racking up 16 kills to notch a .225 hitting percentage in the set. Back-to-back kills from Lux jump started a 5-0 scoring surge, as West Virginia took a 12-8 lead midway through the frame. Lux added two more kills to the scoresheet down the stretch, putting WVU up two at 22-20. Texas Tech took a timeout, but a Red Raider miscue and a Mountaineer block helped WVU reach set point. TTU hung around though, rattling off four straight points to tie the set at 24-24. Both teams traded points, but Ogogor found the floor twice, as West Virginia claimed the 27-25 victory and 3-1 triumph in the match.
The Mountaineers return to the WVU Coliseum for their home opener against Kansas State on Thursday, Oct. 1. The match will air on ESPNU at 7 p.m. ET.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
With the win, WVU defeated TTU in Lubbock for the first time since Sept. 24, 2016.
"We had more information on Tech from last night's match, so we used that to our advantage," sixth-year coach Reed Sunahara said. "We talked in our meeting today, and they were committed to getting better and leaving Lubbock better than last night. That's what we worked on.
"We minimized our hitting errors. Everyone was committed to hitting smarter and making better decisions. That kept us in the game. When we needed kills, we got them down the stretch. When you have five people in double figures, you have a balanced attack, and (junior setter) Lacey (Zerwas) did a good job disturbing the ball to everyone."
A pair of Mountaineers hit about .450 in the match, notching double-digit kills in the process. Senior middle blocker Briana Lynch paved the way, posting a season-high 15 kills for a .462 hitting efficiency. Lynch recorded double figures for the second night in a row and posted her 14th double-digit match of her career. Sophomore middle blocker Emmy Ogogor also hit .462, recording a career-high 14 kills on the night.
Additionally, junior outside hitter Kristin Lux tallied a season-high 12 kills, while redshirt senior middle blocker Audrey Adams and junior outside hitter Natali Petrova each added 10 swings to round out the Mountaineers in double figures.
Lynch also led the squad's blocking efforts with five total blocks, while Petrova posted four bock assists.
Junior setter Lacey Zerwas dished out a season-high 50 assists, adding six digs and a pair of block assists.
Senior libero Alexa Hasting led the floor defense with a season-high 23 digs. Freshman outside hitter/defensive specialist Skye Stokes also notched double-digits for the second consecutive contest, digging 15 balls for a career high.
"Our defense really stepped up two nights in a row," Sunahara said. "We blocked better tonight, and we made some key digs. We were able to transition and capitalize on those opportunities to score, which we didn't really do so last night."
West Virginia capped the day hitting .273. The Mountaineers registered 62 kills on 154 total attempts with nine team blocks and 63 digs. Allison Bloss had 12 kills to lead the Red Raiders, who hit .275 with 64 kills and six and a half team blocks.
West Virginia got off to a rocky start in set one, falling behind 20-15 after a 3-0 Texas Tech run. A kill from Adams brought the Mountaineers within four at 22-18, but back-to-back points from TTU put the Red Raiders at set point. Ogogor came up with a big swing following a WVU timeout to keep the Mountaineers hopes alive. However, Texas Tech capitalized off a West Virginia attacking error to claim the 25-19 victory and 1-0 match lead.
Both squads exchanged points early in the second set before Adams and Zerwas teamed up for a block for the three-point lead at 17-14. TTU used a late kill and a WVU attacking error to pull within one, but a kill from Adams halted the Red Raiders' streak at 20-18. Lynch came in hot down the stretch, putting down back-to-back kills to help the Mountaineers reach set point. A Texas Tech kill on the next ball extended the frame, but Lux laid down her fourth kill of the match for the 25-21 second-set victory, tying the overall match at 1-1.
West Virginia took a 2-1 match lead with a 25-23 win in set three. With the frame tied at 16-all, Texas Tech scored five of the next seven points for the 21-18 lead. WVU called a timeout to regroup, as Ogogor placed one through the pins out of the break to cut the squad's deficit to two. The Mountaineers then capitalized on back-to-back Red Raider attacking errors to tie the set once again at 21-21. Texas Tech later called a timeout following a block from Petrova and Lynch that gave West Virginia the one-point edge at 23-22. Lynch found the floor out of the stoppage to put the Mountaineers at set point. However, the Red Raiders capitalized on a Mountaineer miscue to remain within one. WVU did not back down though, as another kill from Lynch handed WVU the 25-23 victory.
The Mountaineers put the match away in the fourth frame, racking up 16 kills to notch a .225 hitting percentage in the set. Back-to-back kills from Lux jump started a 5-0 scoring surge, as West Virginia took a 12-8 lead midway through the frame. Lux added two more kills to the scoresheet down the stretch, putting WVU up two at 22-20. Texas Tech took a timeout, but a Red Raider miscue and a Mountaineer block helped WVU reach set point. TTU hung around though, rattling off four straight points to tie the set at 24-24. Both teams traded points, but Ogogor found the floor twice, as West Virginia claimed the 27-25 victory and 3-1 triumph in the match.
The Mountaineers return to the WVU Coliseum for their home opener against Kansas State on Thursday, Oct. 1. The match will air on ESPNU at 7 p.m. ET.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Team Stats
WVU
TTU
Kills
62
64
Errors
20
22
Attempts
154
153
Hitting %
.273
.275
Points
74
73.5
Assists
56
60
Aces
3
3
Blocks
9
6.5
Game Leaders
Kills
15
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Kills
14
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
MB
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