RUSTON – McKenzie Johnson and Sydney Jackwin led the Louisiana Tech volleyball team to a 3-1 victory over Grambling State on Friday night at the LA Tech Invitational.
Sitting at 999 career digs late in the fourth set, Johnson reached down and dug the ball before it hit the ground to secure her 1,000th and etch her name in program history as one of the quickest to reach that milestone at 221 sets.
LA Tech (3-5) fell behind 8-3 early after a few errors, causing Coach McCray to call a timeout. Out of that timeout, the Bulldogs made a run to cut the deficit to one off an
Ashley Taylor spike. Tech would take the lead momentarily at 18-17, but the Lady Tigers would real off five straight points to regain the lead. The Bulldogs would work to close the four-point deficit late but were unable to get over the hump.
Tech found their footing in the second set and jumped out to a quick lead with an ace by Johnson and two kills from
Carla Esquer. The Bulldogs would try to extend their lead off Grambling mistakes, but the Lady Tigers would fight their way to a 13-12 advantage. Tech would take a commanding lead on nine of the following 10 points. Jackwin would finish the set with one of her team-high 18 kills to tie the match up at one.
The Bulldogs would continue to roll in the third set, where Johnson started to find the ball with ease, finishing with eight digs in the set. With Grambling up by one, Tech finished the set on a 15-6 run to take a 2-1 advantage.
The teams battled tough for the fourth straight set through the opening portion. Grambling would have the lead early on at 7-6, but LA Tech would continue to fight and score four consecutive points. The Lady Tigers would take the next seven of nine to take the lead back. Taking the lead for good off a tip-over by
Lauren Albrecht, LA Tech would defeat Grambling for the 34th time in a row. The final five points for the Bulldogs came the way of the
Grace Krohn to Jackwin connection, giving them a 3-1 win (21-25, 25-19, 25-17, 25-19).
QUOTABLES
Head coach
Amber McCray
"I am beyond proud of the way this team responded tonight against a well-coached Grambling team who is playing very well right now. Syd had the breakout match we've been looking for, leading us with 18 kills on .405 hitting. I felt our setters did a great job with their choices and distribution, allowing all of our hitters to step up in crucial moments tonight to make big-time plays. I also have to shout out our floor defense who came up with some incredible saves, anchored by
McKenzie Johnson's record-breaking night."
"Words can't express how proud I am of McKenzie with what she has endured to get to this point and the total grit she plays with every single day. I just couldn't be happier for this kid, not just for the player and competitor she is, but for the person she is as well."
NOTABLES
- Johnson finished with 17 digs in the final two sets to get her to 27 for the game and 1,001 for her career. The 27 digs were also the most by a Bulldogs since she last completed the feat on Sept. 6, 2022, against ULM when she finished with 29.
- Grace Krohn finished with 24 assists and nine digs, giving her two straight matches with more than 20 assists.
- Jackwin finished her second double-double of the season with 18 kills and 15 digs.
- Luisa Araujo tied her career-high with six blocks.
UP NEXT
The LA Tech Invitational concludes Saturday morning when the Bulldogs take on Lamar at 11 a.m. CT.
SOCIAL MEDIA
For all the latest in LA Tech Volleyball, follow them on Twitter (@LATechVB), Instagram (@LATechVB), and Facebook (LATechVolleyball).
