On Nov. 29, 2001, Texas Tech volleyball lost to the Utah Utes in the first round of the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Tournament.
They did not make it back for 20 years.
That all changed Sunday when Texas Tech (17-12, 7-9 Big 12) learned they are back in the NCAA Tournament and will start with a first-round match against the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles (26-5, 15-1 Atlantic Sun Conference) on Friday in Madison, Wisconsin.
Sixth-year head coach Tony Graystone said they are excited, and they have been thinking about this moment for a while, especially as they put together good results in the last few weeks.
After losing both matches to Kansas State in late October, the Red Raiders won four of their last six matches, notably defeating West Virginia twice on the road in Morgantown and getting a set off No. 2 Texas for the first time since 2017.
Senior setter Alex Kirby said they went into Morgantown knowing they needed to get two wins to make sure they got into the postseason.
“We knew going into that, that was a really good team, they had a really high RPI, and we knew we needed to beat them twice,” Kirby said. “And we did. So that’s when it started becoming real, and then now, it’s for sure real.
Seven of the nine Big 12 volleyball teams made the dance, and Graystone said the Big 12 has prepared the Red Raiders for postseason play.
“The Big 12 is the best conference in the country this year RPI-wise,” Graystone said, “and we knew [all] along that it was going to be a dogfight every match, and you know, I’m glad that we finished the way we did, but every match you had to earn it.”
Texas Tech finished the regular season No. 38 in RPI, fourth among Big 12 teams, and all seven Big 12 teams that made the tournament were inside the top 50.
Graystone said he is happy for the group of seniors who have been here for four years.
“They committed a long time ago when we were still in a rebuild, and a lot of faith on their part that we were going to turn it around and they were going to be the ones to help us turn it around.
“So those four especially, you know, Karrington [Jones} and Brooke [Kanas] and Alex and Kiari [Gier], they’re our four-year seniors, and so a lot of credit to them, and you know, it’s their character and their effort that’s really led the way.”
Kirby said she will feel good knowing she left the program better than she found it, just like they felt on senior night.
She got emotional as she talked about how everything has come together for this moment.
“Being a student-athlete is so hard, and just doing it for so long, it’s like – that moment is the reason you do it, right there,” Kirby said as her teammates continued to celebrate behind her. “There’s no greater feeling than that feeling right there.”
Graystone and Kirby said they will celebrate the rest of Sunday night, but they will get back to work Monday as they have a quick turnaround before the first round Friday.
The full tournament bracket can be found here, and this article will be updated as more information comes out on their first-round match. Follow @KTXT_Sports and @TexasTechVB on Twitter for more updates.
Loading ...