It had been 20 years since Texas Tech volleyball made the NCAA Tournament, and for moments on Thursday, it looked like they would make more history.
The Florida Gulf Coast Eagles had other plans, pulling off the reverse sweep as they came back from losing the first two sets to defeat the Red Raiders in five sets at the UW Field House in Madison, Wisconsin.
Both teams went in with a top-40 RPI: FGCU was No. 33, while Texas Tech was No. 40.
FGCU junior outside hitter Erin Shomaker led the way for the Eagles with 20 kills. She had a tough first two sets, as did the rest of the Eagles, but she came alive in the third set with 17 kills and just one error on 28 attacks for an improbable .571 hitting % in the last three sets.
Eagles junior middle blocker Aja Jones also had a night when she needed it most with a career-high 10 blocks.
Junior outside hitter Kenna Sauer led the Red Raiders with 18 kills and 18 digs, senior middle blocker Karrington Jones led Tech in blocks with nine, senior setter Alex Kirby had 52 assists and six blocks, and senior libero KJ Adams had 18 digs.
Texas Tech hit 15 errors in the first three sets but hit 14 errors in the fourth and fifth sets as it all fell apart for the Red Raiders.
First Two Sets Were All Texas Tech
The Red Raiders dominated the Eagles in the first set from start to finish, ending the set on a 9-3 run to take it 25-14.
FGCU came out much stronger in the second set and eventually got their first lead of the match at 8-7, but the Red Raiders went on a 11-2 run into a FGCU timeout to go up 18-10, ultimately taking the set 25-16.
The Eagles hit -.029 in the first set and .000 in the second set, with eight errors each set.
“They started off a little bit high-error,” Tech head coach Tony Graystone said, “and obviously we took advantage of it, we got up a nice lead, and then just was able to finish it out.”
Karrington Jones contributed two kills, a solo block, and teamed up with Kirby for five blocks in the second set alone.
The Turn: Nail-Biting Third Set Goes to FGCU
In the third set, Shomaker showed why she was the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament MVP. She won three points in a row with two kills and a block assist to give FGCU a 10-8 lead.
The Eagles continued to find their rhythm and got up 19-15, forcing Tech to take a timeout.
The Red Raiders earned just about every point they won coming out of the timeout, stringing together six kills and a block to regain the lead at 22-21, but it was too little, too late. The Eagles took the third set 25-23.
“I really just felt like they got their serve-receive going and they were able to get all of their options and their middles got a little more involved,” Graystone said, “and their pins, I thought they were swinging big and just working off our block, and that was it, they were really fearless, and they were just staying really aggressive.”
The End
Unlike the third set, where Tech still played well, the Red Raiders looked shellshocked in the fourth set as they made 11 attack errors.
The Eagles, who came into the match 14th in the country in blocks per set, had five blocks in the fourth set alone as they took the set 25-15.
Tech continued to fall apart fast in the fifth set, looking out of it as FGCU ran roughshod over them.
FGCU needed just one block this set as they had nine kills and just one error for a .615 hitting %, taking the set 15-7.
Graystone said they tried to stop FGCU from continuing to gain momentum, but it just didn’t happen.
“It’s easier said than done and they were in a place where everything was working, and so it was just…I don’t know, we did everything we could, and I just felt like once they got it turned on, they were really tough.”
A Reflection
FGCU will play their second round against No. 4 Wisconsin on Friday.
Texas Tech (17-13, 7-9 Big 12) had a historic season making the tournament for the first time since 2001.
“I don’t think I can say enough just about this program and the way they do things,” Sauer said, “like I’ve really never been in a more positive and nurturing environment where I feel like there’s so much room to grow for everybody.”
Sauer said the seniors and Graystone deserve a lot of recognition for the work it took to get here, and she would “put a lot of money on us next year” to make it back.
Jones said the Red Raiders will be back in the tournament next year.
“I feel like it stings a lot because we know how good we are, so we just expected it to go our way and it didn’t, but we have shown ourselves and just everyone else watching that we’re supposed to be here and we’ll be back,” Jones said. “We’re going to get in the gym and work, and this won’t be the last time that we’ll be seen.”
Tech Final Season Stats
- Jones made the All-Big 12 Second Team as she came back from an injury and illness-ridden 2020 season to finish her senior season with 90 blocks and 221 kills.
- Her .358 hitting % in 2021 is tied for second in program history for a single season.
- Jones’ .281 hitting % for her career is eighth all-time in Tech history.
- Sauer made the All-Big 12 First Team as the Tech offense mostly ran through her with 364 kills on 1,167 attacks. She also had 279 digs.
- Adams’ 485 digs are sixth in Tech history for a single season.
- Kirby had 1,055 assists this season and finishes her Tech career with 2,518 assists, good for ninth all-time among Red Raiders.
- Tech senior middle blocker Brooke Kanas led the team in blocks this year with 114 as she also contributed 199 kills and hit .319.
- Tech junior outside hitter Reagan Cooper was second on the team in kills with 285.
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