The Texas Tech volleyball team will go on the road to take on Oklahoma on Thursday and Friday.
The 12-7 Red Raiders are coming off a huge win over Iowa State. The team will look to continue the momentum against an 8-9 Sooners team that is coming off a tough loss against TCU.
The two-game series will be Tech’s fourth Big 12 matchup of the season.
Kenna Sauer is Becoming a Star
Junior outside hitter Kenna Sauer was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season following her back-to-back 20 kill games against Iowa State.
Sauer leads the Red Raiders in kills with 234 on the season. On the defensive end, she is fourth on the team in blocks with 42 on the season.
Head coach Tony Graystone said both her offensive and defensive ability has had a huge impact on games, especially last weekend against Iowa State where she tallied a few key blocks that became the deciding factor in some early sets.
“I think overall she’s been a program-changing player to be honest,” Graystone said. “She’s come in and done so much in such a short amount of time . . . I’m really happy for her, really proud of what she’s doing and I’m happy we got her for a while.”
Taking the Next Step
The Red Raiders have split back-to-back series against Big 12 opponents. Tech will look to take the next step to come away with two wins in its upcoming series.
Graystone said it’s all about finishing close sets and getting a few more points.
“We’ve been talking about regaining momentum and how we were letting things kind of slip when we felt like momentum was lost,” Graystone said. “Iowa State was a big step for that and we just needed one or two more points.”
Preparing for Oklahoma
Despite its 8-9 record, Oklahoma poses a legitimate threat to the Red Raiders. The Sooners have some experienced players, but freshman outside hitter Megan Wilson has been the most impressive. She leads the Sooners with 265 kills on the season.
Grayston said going on the road against an improved Sooners team will be a challenge.
“They’re experienced players that we know, but we haven’t seen them in a while and they know how to put a ball away,” Graystone said. “Their setting is much better, they’ve got an offensive outside hitter who’s young, and that gym is hard to play in when they fill it up so it’s going to be a challenge for sure.”
Stats
- Libero KJ Adams has accumulated 316 digs on the season.
- Middle blocker Brooke Kanas leads the Red Raiders with 71 blocks.
- Despite starting only 12 matches, outside hitter Reagan Cooper is second on the team with 169 kills on the season.
- Oklahoma middle blocker Paige Anderson leads the Sooners with 89 blocks.
- Freshman libero Callie Kemohah leads the Sooners in digs with 291.
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