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Brandi Brown
Brande Brown led Tech to victory with 18 kills and a .640 hitting percentage vs. Iowa State. (file photo)
Sept. 28, 1997

Texas Tech Downs Missouri and Iowa State to Open Big 12 Schedule

Setter Lisa Hilgers Breaks Texas Tech All-Time Career Assists Record

Texas Tech got off to a perfect Big 12 start as it needed only six games to defeat both Missouri and Iowa State in straight sets this weekend. Tech held Missouri to .127 hitting as the Raiders defeated the Tigers before 350 fans, 15-7, 15-7, 15-3.

Led by senior outside hitter Cristine Martin's 10 kills, Tech hit a combined .284 (35-14-74) against the Tigers. Martin hit .389 (10-3-18) and junior outside hitter Angela Cooper contributed nine kills in 19 attempts for the victory. Brande Brown finished with six kills, a career-high five service aces and 10 digs for the Raiders while setter Lisa Hilgers added 30 assists.

The Red Raiders improved to 2-0 in the Big 12 with a decisive 15-4, 15-7, 15-8 victory at Iowa State Saturday. Brown finished the match with 18 kills in 25 attempts, along with a .640 match hitting percentage as Cooper added 10 kills in 19 attempts (.474 percentage) and Lisa Hilgers contributed nine kills in 11 attempts for a career high .727 hitting percentage. Hilgers also broke the Texas Tech all-time career assists record with 39 assists.

Tech outhit the host Cyclones .393 to .154 and committed only 14 attack errors to Iowa State's 27. Defensively, Tech combined for 46 digs and 12 blocks to stymie Iowa State.

Nelson is now 5-0 all-time against Missouri and 4-0 vs. Iowa State.

Lisa Hilgers
Junior setter Lisa Hilgers breaks the Texas Tech all-time career assists record. (file photo)

Hilgers breaks TTU career assists record
Junior setter Lisa Hilgers broke the Texas Tech all-time career assists record against Iowa State on Saturday. Before the match, Hilgers needed 14 assists to break the record. She tied the record after she finished with 13 assists in game one. Her first assist in game two marked the record-breaking assist. Hilgers surpassed Ginger Carter's record of 3,598 career assists compiled from 1991-94. Hilgers now has 3,624 assists and will have this season along with next season to build upon her accomplishment. Hilgers also set a career high for hitting percentage in a match with a .667 performance (9-1-12).

Upcoming Weekend: Texas (Oct. 3) and Texas A&M (Oct. 4)
With its two victories this weekend, the Texas Tech volleyball squad will carry its 15-1 (2-0 Big 12) record into this weekend with matches against nationally ranked opponents Texas and Texas A&M. The Red Raiders will host Texas on Friday at 7:00 p.m. and Texas A&M at 7:00 p.m. Saturday. Both matches will be in Lubbock Municipal Coliseum.

Both Texas and Texas A&M have been difficult opponents for Texas Tech through the years. The Raiders are 7-44-2 vs. Texas and 20-32 vs. Texas A&M in all-time meetings. Head coach Jeff Nelson is 0-4 vs. Texas and 0-5 vs. Texas A&M in his time as head coach. The last time Tech defeated Texas was in 1992 in Lubbock with a 3-2 victory on October 21.

Texas Tech opened its Big 12 with two victories this weekend at Missouri and Iowa State in Columbia, Mo. and Ames, Iowa. The Red Raiders downed Missouri 15-7, 15-7 and 15-3 to gain its first Big 12 victory of the season, then traveled to Iowa State to defeat the Cyclones 15-4, 15-7, 15-8.

The two sweeping wins improved Tech's match and game winning streaks to six consecutive match victories and 18 consecutive game victories. Senior middle blocker Brande Brown led Tech with 24 kills on the weekend while junior setter Lisa Hilgers contributed 67 assists and broke the school record for career assists. She still has the rest of the year, along with another year to build upon her record.

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