Tech senior middle blocker Karrington Jones led the team with 21 kills over Friday and Saturday, including a career-high 13 on Saturday, as the Red Raiders swept TCU twice at the United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock.
It was two quick three-set matches for the Red Raiders, who have played the most matches and most sets of any Big 12 team.
They had not won two three-set matches in a row since Sep. 17 at the Green Wave Volleyball Invitational in Birmingham, Alabama.
Texas Tech improves to 14-10 on the season and 4-7 in Big 12 play while TCU drops to 8-11 overall and 2-7 in the conference.
Friday: Tech Closes Strong in Each Set
Before the game, senior setter Alex Kirby was honored for getting over 2,000 assists in her career.
“Those kinds of milestones are always fun,” Tech head coach Tony Graystone said, “and those of us that know Alex know that she’s a hard worker and she’s a grinder and she’s been putting so much into this.”
As the game started, TCU played well, holding off a few Tech runs to go up 15-14 into the media timeout.
Tech went on an 11-3 run, helped by six attack errors from the Horned Frogs, to take the first set 25-18.
The second set had 11 ties and five lead changes, but Tech took advantage of a TCU service error at 23-23, and Jones hit Tech’s fifth ace of the match to win the set 25-23.
In the third set, Tech outside hitter Reagan Cooper got five kills, including two in the last six points, and the Red Raiders hit three more aces as they took the set 25-22 to get the sweep.
Dugan, a junior outside hitter who was on the All-Big 12 Second Team last season, led the team with 11 kills. Cooper was right behind her with 10 kills, and Jones had nine kills.
Tech got the sweep despite an off night from junior outside hitter Kenna Sauer, who had five kills but seven errors on 30 attacks, finishing with a negative hitting percentage for just the second time this season.
Saturday: Tech Starts Slow but Claws Back and Sweeps TCU Again
Sauer was worse on Saturday, but Jones and the Red Raiders stepped up to the plate in a big way.
Tech got down early 7-1 as TCU was red-hot to start the first set.
The Red Raiders cut the lead to two points and stayed in the set until a TCU attack error gave Tech their first lead of the game at 23-22, and they found a way to steal the set 26-24.
The second set, much like Friday, had 11 ties and five lead changes. The last tie was a Jones kill to get to 14-14, and the last lead change was a kill from senior setter Alex Kirby to get Tech to 15-14.
Including those two points, Tech won 12 of the next 16 points to take the set 25-18.
Jones broke out in a big way in the third set, getting the last six of her 13 kills to set her career-high and put the Red Raiders up 20-5 in the third set.
She and other starters were subbed out as the Red Raiders gave some playing time to multiple players off the bench, including senior Tatum Rohme, who got her first kill and block since 2019 to win the last two points for the Red Raiders as they took the set 25-11.
The third set against TCU is tied for the biggest margin in a set that Tech has won this season with the second set against UAB on Sep. 17.
Post-Game
On Friday, Dugan said it was good for she and others to step up in place of Sauer.
“We do rely on Kenna a lot,” Dugan said, “so it’s really nice when Reagan and I and any of the middles, Brooke, Karrington, can step in for [Sauer] when she maybe isn’t having her best night because she can’t be the one every time, you know? So we’re just there to support her.”
Cooper said she agreed with Dugan about stepping up when needed.
“I feel like we had a lot of good connection with the setter as well,” Cooper said, “and the good serve and pass helped a lot to put all of our options on and give everybody a chance to make kills tonight.”
Graystone said TCU brought some different looks and a different lineup Saturday that forced the Red Raiders to adjust.
“It took us about six rotations to figure it out,” Graystone said, “and then the second time through the lineup is when we were in good shape, but you know, it’s just one of those things, you got to figure it out, find your matchups, and go from there.”
Jones, who hit a whopping .600 hitting percentage Saturday, said it felt good to have that type of night, especially in one of her last few home games as a Red Raider.
“I was ready to do a good job in front of a lot of people who came to watch,” Jones said. “The crowd helped, teammates, coaches, we were ready. Just like yesterday, we were ready to do it again, and so I’m just glad I was a part of that.”
She said with her last four Big 12 games against West Virginia and Texas, she does not know how to describe it, but she is trying to take it all in.
Up Next
The Red Raiders have one more open week before going on the road to play West Virginia (16-7, 5-5 Big 12) Nov. 18 and 19 in Morgantown, West Virginia.
Their next home game, and their final two regular season games, are back at the United Supermarkets Arena against No. 1 Texas (18-0, 9-0) Nov. 26 and 27.
Image of Jones from Texas Tech Athletics
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