Lady Demon Volleyball | 8/23/2018 2:57:00 PM
LUBBOCK, Texas – For at least a couple of members of the Northwestern State volleyball team, Friday's season-opening trip to Texas Tech for the Red Raider Classic there will be some familiarity.
Traveling to Texas Tech means a return to his alma mater for head coach
Sean Kiracofe. For senior outside hitter
Reagan Rogers, it is a chance to play in front of her brother, Tanner, a Texas Tech student.
The Lady Demons will face the host Red Raiders at noon Friday in Northwestern State's season opener.
"I'm really excited to see him," said Rogers, who had 12 kills in three matches when the Lady Demons played in the 2015 Texas Tech Lone Star Showdown. "This may be, but hopefully not, the last time he gets to see me play in my college career. I'm really excited for him to watch us and see him again."
The same can be said for Kiracofe, who earned his undergraduate degree from Texas Tech in 1999 and was a two-year captain and four-year starter for the Red Raiders' club team. In his final two seasons, Kiracofe helped the Red Raiders earn top-25 rankings.
"It's a great way to take a trip," Kiracofe said with a chuckle. "To be able to get on that court and play a match is fun. I've been able to do that with a couple of teams I've been on, but it's always a little more special when you're the head coach."
Special is a word Kiracofe and others have affixed to his fourth NSU squad, which will host the Southland Conference Tournament in mid-November.
The Lady Demons, 15-17 a season ago, return 14 letter winners, including all seven starters. That experience has raised expectations around the program.
Rogers and
Channing Burleson were first-team all-conference selections with Burleson earning Libero of the Year honors. Both were named to the LSWA's All-Louisiana team with Rogers picking up first-team accolades.
A season ago, Rogers enjoyed a breakout campaign, hammering down 427 kills, the second-highest total in school history. A Blanco, Texas, product, Rogers was consistent from the first serve of the season onward.
During Saturday's 3-1 exhibition win against Louisiana Tech, Rogers tied for the team lead with 12 kills, doing so while hitting .290.
"I have a lot more confidence and a lot more confidence in this team," she said. "We have a lot of returning leadership on this team. We've worked hard bringing in the new girls, and we're ready to get after it."
For all the familiarity that surrounds Friday's doubleheader for NSU – the Lady Demons face Rice at 5 p.m. – it also features a little something different.
In three of its four tournaments this season, Northwestern State will play just two matches. Only twice will it play more than one match in a day.
The schedule is by design.
"Experience can be said to come with a few more aches and pains," Kiracofe said. "You've got a lot of miles on those legs. One less match here or there will probably be a good thing once we get into conference."
There will be one more piece of familiarity for the Lady Demons in Friday's opener. It comes in the form of Texas Tech head coach Tony Graystone.
Graystone coached at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi for seven seasons before taking over at Texas Tech in 2016.
Under Graystone the Red Raiders went 19-15 a season ago, their first winning season since 2001.
"Tony's done a great job up there, which I'm happy about because I want them to be good," Kiracofe said. "It will be interesting to see him on the other side of the bench."
Friday's finale for the Lady Demons matches them against a Rice team that won 21 matches a season ago and is picked to finish second in Conference USA.
Saturday's exhibition game the Lady Demons a chance to see a C-USA member in action when Louisiana Tech visited Prather Coliseum.
And while Rice is picked to finish highly in C-USA, Kiracofe found plenty of positives to take away from the exhibition victory.
"It was good to see someone from that conference and know, when we had our starters out there, things were clicking," he said. "It's good to know you can compete with that conference."
