Victory at last for volleyball
After a three-game losing streak, volleyball squad defeats Texas Tech in four sets.
Monday, October 6th, 2008
At times it was not pretty for the Jayhawks. In fact it looked downright ugly.
But for coach Ray Bechard, a win is a win, as Kansas picked up its second Big 12 victory against Texas Tech on Saturday night, winning in four sets.
Redshirt junior setter Katie Martincich prepares a serve against Texas Tech during Saturday's match in Lubbock, Texas.
“There’s times on the road that you don’t technically play as clean as you’d like to,” Becahrd said, “but you grind it out a little bit.”
For Kansas, coming off a three-game losing streak, the victory was a welcome sight. Although those three teams were all ranked, the Jayhawks were slipping in the Big 12 standings and as if the Red Raiders, with a 0-5 Big 12 record heading into that match, would an easy team to defeat.
But as Bechard knows better than anyone, there are no easy victories, especially in the Big 12.
“They are a quality team,” Bechard said of Texas Tech. “They’ll just have a hard time in this conference, just like all of us do.”
Both teams failed to reach a .200 hitting efficiency and both had at least 25 hitting errors, the teams’ struggling offenses making it difficult for either side to gain momentum. But the difference was Kansas had a player like sophomore outside hitter Karina Garlington.
Even after suffering an ankle sprain that helped shut her out in the first set — the first time she has not recorded a kill in a set all season — Garlington finished with a match-high 18 kills. Garlington put the burden on her shoulders during Kansas’ tough stretches in the third and fourth sets.
“When there was chaos all around, and we threw the ball up high, Karina was there to take good swings,” Bechard said.
Kansas needed all the good swings they could get in a crucial third set. With the match tied at one game apiece, the Jayhawks looked incredibly flat to open the set. Kansas fell down 1-8 to start the match.
But the Jayhawks scrapped back, with the help of some Red Raider errors, to cut the lead to four at 17-21. Then it was all Garlington. From that point of the set, Garlington dominated the Red Raiders with four kills to help the Jayhawks climb back and take the set 25-23.
Set four was no easier. There were 11 ties and five lead changes before Kansas, once again led by Garlington with eight kills in the set, put away the victory, winning 25-22.
Garlington was not alone in her superb efforts. Freshman outside hitter Allison Mayfield stepped into the match with some unexpected big minutes to finish with 10 kills, and senior outside hitter Savannah Noyes collected 13 kills with a .500 hitting percentage.
Noyes has led the Jayhawks in hitting percentage since Big 12 play started.
“Savannah kind of took it upon herself on a number of occasions to make big plays for us,” Bechard said. “I think she senses that her team needs her, and she’s come through.”
Noyes, however, offered a more modest response for her success during Big 12 play.
“Nicole (Tate) just gets me the ball, and I try to put it down,” Noyes said.
Noyes said she hoped this victory would be a springboard for the rest of the season. Kansas plays unranked teams for the rest of the month.
“We definitely needed this one,” Noyes said. “The next few games in October that we play are ones that we can definitely win, so any road game win is pretty huge.”
— Edited by Adam Mowder
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