THANK YOU _____ AND _____. IT WAS A HUGE WEEKEND FOR TEXAS TECH SPORTS! FROM AN EXCITING FOOTBALL UPSET, STRONG VOLLEYBALL PERFORMANCES, AND A NAIL-BITING SOCCER MATCH, THE RED RAIDERS ARE SHOWING OUT ACROSS THE BOARD.

IN AMES, IOWA, TEXAS TECH FOOTBALL MADE HEADLINES WITH A THRILLING 23-22 UPSET OVER NO. 11 IOWA STATE. RED RAIDER QUARTERBACK BEHREN MORTON LED A LATE 71-YARD DRIVE, RESULTING IN A GAME-WINNING 5-YARD TOUCHDOWN BY TAHJ BROOKS WITH JUST 19 SECONDS LEFT ON THE CLOCK. BROOKS FINISHED WITH AN IMPRESSIVE 122 RUSHING YARDS ON 25 CARRIES, CROSSING THE 4,000-YARD MARK FOR HIS CAREER AND RECORDING HIS NINTH 100-YARD GAME THIS SEASON. THIS HARD-FOUGHT VICTORY BRINGS TEXAS TECH TO A 6-3 RECORD, OFFICIALLY MAKING THE RED RAIDERS BOWL-ELIGIBLE FOR A FOURTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR. LOOKING AHEAD, TEXAS TECH FANS HAVE MORE EXCITEMENT ON THE HORIZON AS FOX’S BIG NOON KICKOFF PREGAME SHOW MAKES ITS DEBUT IN LUBBOCK NEXT SATURDAY. WITH THE RED RAIDERS FACING NO. 21 COLORADO, BIG NOON KICKOFF WILL BE SET UP NEAR JONES AT&T STADIUM, WHERE FANS CAN JOIN THE TWO-HOUR LIVE BROADCAST BEGINNING AT 9 A.M. TEXAS TECH CURRENTLY STANDS 6-3 OVERALL, WHILE COLORADO ENTERS AT 6-2, BOTH IN CONTENTION FOR A TOP BIG 12 POSITION. THE MUCH-ANTICIPATED GAME WILL AIR ON FOX AT 3 P.M.

AT THE UNITED SUPERMARKETS ARENA, TEXAS TECH VOLLEYBALL DOMINATED ON SATURDAY, SWEEPING UCF FOR THEIR FIRST BIG 12 SWEEP OF THE SEASON. THE RED RAIDERS HIT AN IMPRESSIVE .313 HITTING PERCENTAGE, LED BY MIA WESLEY’S OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE—HER EIGHTH DOUBLE-DOUBLE OF THE SEASON. WESLEY TALLIED 14 KILLS WITH A .312 HITTING PERCENTAGE AND 12 DIGS, WHILE BRYNN WILLIAMS WAS RIGHT BEHIND WITH 13 KILLS AND A .344 HITTING PERCENTAGE. SETTER HANNA BORER ORCHESTRATED THE OFFENSE, RECORDING 32 ASSISTS, SIX KILLS, SEVEN DIGS, AND TWO BLOCKS, INCLUDING A GAME-CHANGING PLAY LATE IN THE FIRST SET. THE RED RAIDERS’ DEFENSE WAS ALSO ON POINT, WITH MADDIE CORREA SHINING IN THE LIBERO POSITION WITH A GAME-HIGH 16 DIGS AND A PERFECT 14-FOR-14 ON SERVE RECEIVE. TECH TOOK CONTROL OF EACH SET WITH CONSISTENT HITTING AND STRONG DEFENSE, CLOSING OUT THE MATCH IN THREE SETS WITH A DOMINANT FINAL SET THAT HELD UCF TO A NEGATIVE HITTING PERCENTAGE. UP NEXT, TECH LOOKS TO BUILD ON THIS MOMENTUM AS THEY HOST BAYLOR ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, AT 6 P.M.

TURNING TO TEXAS TECH SOCCER, THE NO. 17 RED RAIDERS ADVANCED TO THE BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP SEMIFINALS AFTER DEFEATING BAYLOR 2-1 IN A HARD-FOUGHT QUARTERFINAL MATCH. THIS MARKS TECH’S FIFTH SEMI FINALS APPEARANCE IN THE LAST SIX YEARS, A TESTAMENT TO THE PROGRAM’S CONSISTENCY AND STRENGTH. THE RED RAIDERS WERE DOWN EARLY AFTER BAYLOR SCORED IN THE FIFTH MINUTE, BUT FORWARD MACY BLACKBURN QUICKLY ANSWERED WITH A PERFECT CROSS TO TAYLOR ZDROJEWSKI, WHO HEADED IT IN TO EQUALIZE JUST 13 SECONDS INTO THE 10TH MINUTE.

IN A DRAMATIC SEQUENCE RIGHT BEFORE HALFTIME, STORIE SEXTON CAPITALIZED ON A CORNER KICK REBOUND TO GIVE TECH A 2-1 LEAD. GOALKEEPER FAITH NGUYEN THEN MADE A GAME-SAVING STOP IN THE 83RD MINUTE TO SECURE THE WIN, MARKING HER 12TH VICTORY OF THE SEASON. TECH, NOW AT 14-3-2, FACES KANSAS IN THE SEMIFINALS THIS WEDNESDAY AT 7 P.M. 

IN BASKETBALL, TEXAS TECH MEN’S BASKETBALL IS READY TO KICK OFF ITS 100TH SEASON ON TUESDAY AGAINST BETHUNE-COOKMAN. RIDING A 24-GAME SEASON-OPENER WIN STREAK, THE RED RAIDERS ARE BACK AFTER A STRONG SEASON LAST YEAR, WHICH SAW THEM REACH THE NCAA TOURNAMENT. HEAD COACH GRANT MCCASLAND IS EXCITED TO START THE CENTENNIAL SEASON, CITING HARD WORK AND DEPTH IN HIS RETURNING ROSTER.

LASTLY, LADY RAIDER BASKETBALL BEGINS ITS 50TH SEASON WITH A HOME GAME AGAINST INCARNATE WORD TOMORROW NIGHT. TEXAS TECH RETURNS SEVERAL KEY PLAYERS, INCLUDING JASMINE SHAVERS AND BAILEY MAUPIN, WHO ARE EXPECTED TO LEAD THIS EXPERIENCED TEAM. THE LADY RAIDERS, WHO ARE ON A FIVE-GAME WIN STREAK AGAINST INCARNATE WORD, LOOK TO BUILD MOMENTUM WITH A TALENTED SQUAD OF UPPERCLASSMEN.

THAT WRAPS UP A THRILLING WEEKEND FOR TEXAS TECH SPORTS! FROM LATE-GAME TOUCHDOWNS TO ADVANCING IN THE BIG 12 TOURNAMENT, THE RED RAIDERS HAVE GIVEN US PLENTY TO CELEBRATE. STAY TUNED FOR MORE ACTION. BACK TO YOU____ AND ____.

Written by: Jade Alexus Hernandez