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Aug. 30, 1997

Texas Tech Volleyball Wins Own Sheraton Shootout as Raiders Finish 4-0

Brande Brown Earns MVP Award While Three Other Raiders Are Selected to All-Tournament Team

LUBBOCK, Texas - The Texas Tech volleyball team started its season with a bang as it won four matches en route to the Sheraton Shootout championship Friday and Saturday in Lubbock Municipal Coliseum.

Tech senior middle blocker Brande Brown was named the tournament Most Valuable Player by the coaches. The Red Raiders also dominated the all-tournament team as they had three athletes earn awards including senior setter Lisa Hilgers, sophomore outside hitter Courtney Putnam and junior outside hitter Angela Cooper.

Tech followed its two victories on Friday against Texas-San Antonio and Portland with two more wins against SMU and Ohio on Saturday.

The Raiders began Saturday by sweeping SMU 15-5, 15-0, 16-14 in its noon matchup. Tech finished the match with 53 kills and a .366 hitting percentage and held the Mustangs to only 26 kills and a low .133 hitting percentage. Coming off its 15-5 victory in the first game, the Raiders rattled off 15 straight points to win the second game in convicing fashion, 15-0. The Raiders were led by Brown's 15 kills (.481 hitting percentage) and Cooper's 10 kills. Putnam finished the match with eight kills and a .429 hitting percentage.

Tech finished off a perfect four-win tournament with a 15-10, 15-7, 15-9 finale' against Ohio. Cooper led the Raiders in both kills (eight) and digs (14). Her 14 digs were a career-high. Putnam tallied eight kills and Brown along with redshirt freshman Janelle Jones contributed seven kills apiece as the Raiders held Ohio (2-2) to .078 hitting percentage.

"It was a good first tournament for us being such a young team," Tech head coach Jeff Nelson said. "It gave us an idea of what we need to do to improve and get better but overall, it was a good learning experience for our younger players and gave us a chance to see some competition other than ourselves."

Other All-Tournament team members included two players from SMU, freshman outside hitter Kelly Klecka and sophomore outside hitter Leslie Olson along with Portland freshman middle blocker Cathy Cook and Ohio junior middle hitter Traci Nation.

SHERATON SHOOTOUT ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
(as selected by the five head coaches) Most Valuable Player: Brande Brown, SR, middle blocker, Texas Tech All-Tournament Team: Lisa Hilgers, SR, setter, Texas Tech Courtney Putnam, SO, outside hitter, Texas Tech Angela Cooper, JR, outside hitter, Texas Tech Cathy Cook, FR, middle blocker, Portland Kelly Klecka, FR, outside hitter, SMU Leslie Olson, SO, outside hitter, SMU Traci Nation, JR, middle hitter, Ohio 

FINAL SHERATON SHOOTOUT TOURNAMENT RANKINGS 
Rnk School              W-L      Pct.
1   Texas Tech          4-0    1.000
2   Portland            2-2     .500
3   Ohio                2-2     .500
4.  SMU                 2-2     .500
5.  Texas-San Antonio   0-4     .000

SATURDAY, AUGUST 30, 1997 SHERATON SHOOTOUT SCORES
Portland defeated Texas-San Antonio 9-15, 15-9, 15-9, 17-15 TEXAS TECH defeated SMU 15-5, 15-0, 16-14 Portland defeated Ohio 15-9, 15-11, 15-12 SMU defeated Texas-San Antonio 15-7, 15-11, 16-14 TEXAS TECH defeated Ohio 15-10, 15-7, 15-9

FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 1997 SHERATON SHOOTOUT SCORES
Ohio defeated SMU 7-15, 15-6, 15-10, 15-11 TEXAS TECH defeated Texas-San Antonio 15-5, 15-0, 15-11 SMU defeated Portland 10-15, 15-9, 7-15, 15-3, 15-13 Ohio defeated Texas-San Antonio 15-8, 15-6, 15-2 TEXAS TECH defeated Portland 7-15, 15-3, 15-3, 15-8

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