The University of Arizona volleyball team (13-9, 7-5 in Big 12) will face Texas Tech University for the second time this season on Friday, Nov. 7, at 11 a.m. in McKale Center.
History vs. Texas Tech
The Wildcats and Red Raiders met earlier this season when Texas Tech swept Arizona 3-0 in Lubbock, Texas. Arizona’s star outside hitter Jordan Wilson led the match offensively with 14 kills. However, Carlie Cisneros recorded only 4 kills compared to her average of 10, which made it difficult for Arizona to maintain its strong offense. Before that match, Arizona and Texas Tech had faced each other eight times, the Wildcats remaining undefeated and recording a single draw in the series. Their most recent meeting ended that streak and shifted the momentum to Texas Tech heading into this Friday’s rematch.
Texas Tech this season
The Red Raiders struggled at the beginning of conference play this season with an eight-game losing streak. This past week, Texas Tech secured their first wins in the conference against the University of Central Florida and Arizona.
International freshman Kalli Jioshvili Ravva from France and freshman Kenna McKenzie from Waco, Texas led the team, combining for 31 kills against the Wildcats. This dominant offense made it difficult for the Wildcats to defend, and the Red Raiders used that to their advantage.
Category leaders for the Red Raiders include junior Sierra Grizzle, who leads the team in service aces with 27 and digs with 425. That total is more than double the number of digs Peyton Dunn has, who falls underneath Grizzle in the rankings. Ravva has been showing her dominance on offense for the Red Raiders throughout the season, leading the team in kills with 203. Dunn has also been a key player with 491 assists.
Arizona this season
The Wildcats went into Halloween night riding high after breaking their three-game losing streak with a 3-0 sweep against TCU on Oct. 31. The Wildcats are currently 7-5 in the Big 12 Conference, tied with Baylor University at fifth.
Wilson continues to be a category leader for kills with 362, followed by Cisneros with 248. Brenna Ginder has been putting together an impressive season with a strong defensive performance, leading the team in digs with 273. In assists, Avery Scoggins dominates the category with 834, while the second leader, Ginder, has only 81. Scoggins’ work on offense has been crucial to Arizona’s performance so far in conference play.
Going into Friday’s game, the Wildcats will have to make sure to put their best foot forward offensively and come on the court swinging. Arizona will need to shut down Ravva’s powerful hits and limit Texas Tech’s momentum early on to maintain control of the match.
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