South Bend, Ind. – Double-double in the background Kenna Sauer And Reese RhodesThe Texas Tech Red Raiders won their season opener against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in four sets, 25-16, 18-25, 25-17, 25-19, at Purcell Pavilion on Friday night.
Playing for the Irish for the first time in program history, Tech recorded 52 kills, 64 digs and 11.0 blocks. Sauer led the team with 12 kills and added 10 digs for her first double-double of the season. Rhodes had a double-double with 40 assists and 13 digs, while nearly reaching double-digit kills with eight.
Reagan Cooper He also hit .360 on the night with 11 double-digit kills. Brooke Kanas Collected nine kills and three blocks and Carrington Jones She led the Red Raiders with eight blocks of her own. Maddie Correa And Maddie O’Brien He joined Sawyer and Rhodes in double-digit digs with 14.
How did it happen?
Prepare one
Texas Tech started the set on a 7-1 run after kills from Sawyer and Kanas, followed by a layup from Correa. Notre Dame got a few points on the board to close the gap at 10-5. Both teams traded points until a kill from Sawyer extended Tech’s lead to 17-11. With a 20-14 advantage, the Red Raiders won the next five points with kills from Rhodes, Cooper, Sauer and O’Brien to claim the set at 25-16.
Prepare two
Notre Dame came out hot in the second set, going up 6-2 at the start. Sauer and O’Brien helped close the gap at 6-5 with a kill and ace. The Irish would hold onto their lead the rest of the set to win 25-18.
Prepare three
The Red Raiders came back in the third set as Kanas started with a kill. Tech took a 10-7 lead before Notre Dame went on a run of their own and tied things at 12-12. O’Brien gave the Red Raiders the momentum they needed as she served up two aces and a kill to give her team a 3-0 run. The Irish would score five more points before the Red Raiders won the third set 25-17 on a Notre Dame service error.
Set four
Both teams went back and forth to start the fourth set. Tied at 4-4, Sawyer delivered a kill to start a 4-1 run for the Red Raiders. Notre Dame chipped away at 19-17 in favor of the Red Raiders to take the Tech lead in a fight of their own. But Tech closed the game on a 6-2 run to end the game with a 25-19 win over Rhodes.
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- Four Red Raiders had double-digit digs (Correa, 14; O’Brien, 14; Rhodes, 13; and Sauer, 10).
- Sawyer collected her first double-double of the season with 12 kills and 10 digs, leading the team in kills.
- Cooper joined Sawyer in double-digit kills (11) and hit .360 for the game.
- Rhodes put together the highest hitting percentage of the night with a .583 clip (8 kills, 12 total attacks) and a double-double with 40 assists and 13 digs.
- Jones led the team in total blocks (8) and was the only Red Raider to collect solo blocks in the game (2).
- Tech posted a .254 hitting clip as a team while holding Notre Dame to a .156 hitting percentage.
- It was the first time in program history that the two teams faced off against the Red Raiders, and the game was split into four groups.
Next
Tech continues in the Irish Invitational on Saturday morning against the Milwaukee Panthers at 11 am CT.
