By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
MOREHEAD, Ky. – It was a strong finish for the Tennessee Tech beach volleyball team Saturday afternoon, as the Golden Eagles completed another 1-1 split on the second and final day of the second Ohio Valley Conference weekend in Morehead, Ky.
The purple and gold fell in its first dual of the day to in-state rival Chattanooga, 4-1, but much like Friday, found a way to bounce back and lock down a victory to close out its inaugural regular season. The Golden Eagles bested Eastern Illinois in the second dual of the day, 4-1, to secure the No. 4 seed at next week's OVC Tournament.
In the first match of the day, the No. 3 pairing of Brooke Amann and Madolyn Isringhausen picked up Tech's lone victory, winning a three-set marathon that featured three highly competitive sets. In the opener, Amann and Isringhausen eked out a 22-20 victory for a 1-0 lead.
The Mocs answered back with a 21-17 win in the second set to square things at 1-1, but the Golden Eagle combo bounced back to take a 15-13 victory in the final set.
Moving on to the second dual, the Tech squad erupted out of the gate, thanks to a strong performance from the No. 5 duo of Katie DiRaimondo and Jazmine Yamilkoski. After squeezing by their EIU counterpart, 21-19, in the first set, they cruised in the second by a score of 21-8 to earn the team a 1-0 lead.
The No. 4 Golden Eagle duo kept the momentum rolling for the purple and gold, coming out on top in a pair of nail-biters. Morgan Gish and McKenna Young teamed up to best the Panther pair 21-19 in the opener before outlasting the other side in the second, 24-22.
Eastern Illinois took back a point in the No. 3 slot, besting Amann and Isringhausen by scores of 21-19 and 21-13. The final two bouts of the dual each came down to the third and final set, with Tech coming out on top in both.
At No. 2, Aleeya Jones and Bella Powell fought to open the match-up with a 21-19 victory. The Panthers responded with a 21-8 win to even things up and keep hope alive for the dual, but Jones and Powell erased the hope in the third. The Golden Eagle combo edged the EIU side, 15-13 to secure the win.
For good measure, the No. 1 team of Skylar Boom and Jordan Karlen collected a three-set win for the 4-1 Tech victory, fighting back from an early 1-0 deficit after dropping the opener 21-14. The Tech duo flipped the script in the second, powering ahead to a 21-13 decision. Boom and Karlen kept the momentum driving into the finale set, capturing a 15-7 victory.
"The win against EIU was a nice close to our first regular season," Tech head coach Zach Weinberg expressed. "It was great to win a dual that we definitely did not play our best in. Credit to EIU, they pushed us into making a ton of adjustments. I'm proud of our response in walking away with a win."
The Golden Eagles will now square off with Lindenwood on the first day of the OVC Tournament next week, battling the No. 5-seeded Lions on Thursday in a 1:00 p.m. CT match. The league's championship event will take place in Martin, Tenn., hosted by No. 1 seed UT Martin.
"A fourth-place finish in the league in year one is no small accomplishment," Weinberg said. "Now we turn our focus to the OVC Tournament where everyone is 0-0. We've played two, hyper-competitive duals with Lindenwood in our first two meetings, so I expect nothing else in the tournament."
File photo by Jim Dillon
