RICHMOND, Ky. – It was a must-win situation for the
Eastern Kentucky volleyball team Saturday. For Tennessee Tech, it
was pretty much a can’t lose proposition.
So, even though the Golden Eagles dropped the season finale, 3-1,
to the red-hot Lady Colonels, coach John Blair’s team has
begun making plans for next week’s Ohio Valley Conference
tournament.
By winning one set over EKU, the Golden Eagles clinched the No. 5
seed in the six-team conference tournament, which will begin
Thursday at Jacksonville State.
After Friday’s contest, the Golden Eagles had secured their
spot in the tournament and wouldn’t have moved any higher
with a victory.
That didn’t mean Blair’s squad didn’t put up a
fight before bowing out. Tech made things interesting with a couple
of rallies in the fourth set before heading home on the short side
of the scoreboard. It also allowed Blair to feature a couple of his
freshmen and both Kelsey Gray and Katrina Dvorken responded with
solid performances.
The Lady Colonels, who upset regular season champion Jacksonville
State on Friday night, had to win Staurday against Tech to keep its
hopes alive for a berth in the OVC tournament. Now, EKU must make
it three wins in three days by beating Eastern Illinois on Sunday
in order to earn a postseason trip. The match, which was
rescheduled from two weeks ago, will be played at 3 p.m. CST on a
neutral floor at the University of Evansville.
EKU handed Jacksonville State its first conference loss of the
season on Friday and then avenged a 3-0 loss earlier this season to
the Golden Eagles.
After EKU won the first set, 25-17, Tech battled back to tie the
match with a 25-23 win in the second set. The Lady Colonels
regained momentum with a 25-17 win in the third set, then outlasted
Tech for a 27-25 victory in the fourth set to capture the
match.
Junior Leah Meffert led the Golden Eagles (10-17, 9-9 OVC) with 12
kills while senior Amanda Lindgren and Gray each recorded eight
kills. Gray led Tech at the net by adding four blocks. Dvorken
(left) put down seven kills in 11 attempts without and error for a
.636 hitting percentage. She also had two blocks. Melanie Culp had
28 assists and nine digs, while senior Katie Kenline paced the back
row with 16 digs.
Lauren Snyder led EKU (9-18, 8-9 OVC) with 19 kills. She also had
14 digs. Lindsey Loescher finished with 16 kills, a .333 attack
percentage and nine digs, while Kate Hendle registered a match-best
52 assists and Abby O’Connor led all players with 27
digs.
The fourth set was tied 12 times and saw six lead changes. An ace
by Loescher and an Eastern Kentucky attack error gave the Colonels
an 18-12 lead, but the Golden Eagles fought back. Four unanswered
points by Tech tied the score at 21-21. Meffert’s ace capped
the run. The set was tied four more times.
A kill by Loescher gave Eastern match-point at 24-23. Then TTU
scored two straight, reaching set-point on a kill by Lindgren and
an EKU attack error.
The Colonels scored two straight to reach match-point again. A
kill by Loescher and a Tennessee Tech attack error put EKU in front
26-25. On the next series, a kill by Amanda Fago ended the
match.
Regardless of what happen on Sunday, the Golden Eagles will
maintain their No. 5 seeding via a tie-breaker with the Lady
Colonels. If EKU defeats EIU, then Tech and the Lady Colonels would
end up tied in the standings at 9-9. In head-to-head play this
season, the teams split their two matches with Tech winning 3-0 in
Cookeville and EKU claiming a 3-1 victory in Richmond. By winning
one set Saturday, Tech owns a 4-3 record in sets against EKU and
gets the higher spot.
Complete OVC Tournament pairings and schedule will be announced by
the OVC office Sunday evening, following the EIU-EKU match. Most
likely Tech will play Murray State in the first round Thursday at
Jacksonville State.
June 20, 2010
Volleyball coach John Blair announces 2010 schedule
May 5, 2010
Tech volleyball signs Penrod, Robertson
November 30, 2009
Golden Eagle volleyball signs Allison May
November 19, 2009
Teresa Craig named as one of six OVC Scholar-Athletes
November 19, 2009
Golden Eagles fall to Murray State in OVC Quarterfinals
November 18, 2009
Meffert, Kenline and Gray receive honors from OVC
November 18, 2009
Golden Eagle volleyball readies to defend OVC championship this weekend
November 14, 2009
Tech falls at EKU in finale; Heads to OVC Tourney as No. 5 seed
November 12, 2009
Golden Eagles wrap up regular season with two on the road
November 9, 2009
Kenline earns second OVC Defensive Player of the Week honor
November 7, 2009
Golden Eagles fight until the end, fall short on Senior Day
November 6, 2009
Craig earns second career Academic All-District honor
November 6, 2009
Tech sinks Tennessee State on Dig Pink Night
November 5, 2009
Senior Day highlights final Golden Eagle homestand of the season
October 28, 2009
Tech to square off against OVC-leading Jacksonville State
October 24, 2009
Tech rebounds against UT Martin, captures 3-1 win
October 23, 2009
Murray State stops Golden Eagle winning streak
October 22, 2009
Tech seeks to extend five-match winning streak
October 17, 2009
Golden Eagles take down Morehead State, 3-1
October 16, 2009
Golden Eagles capture fourth straight win, sweep EKU
October 15, 2009
Tech looks to extend its winning streak at home this weekend
October 9, 2009
Golden Eagles defeat Eastern Illinois in four sets
October 8, 2009
Golden Eagle volleyball set for two OVC rematches
October 3, 2009
Balanced attack leads Tech past Tennessee State
October 2, 2009
Tech falls on the road at Austin Peay
October 1, 2009
Tech plays a pair against in-state opponents
September 26, 2009
Peddicord leads the Golden Eagles to victory against Murray State
September 25, 2009
Volleyball cruises to a sweep of UT Martin
September 24, 2009
The Capital Sports Report features Kenline, Lindgren
September 22, 2009
Golden Eagles drop five-setter to visiting Jacksonville State
September 21, 2009
Craig featured on The Capital Sports Report
September 19, 2009
Panthers claw past the Golden Eagles
September 18, 2009
TTU cannot hang on against SEMO in home opener, falls 3-2
September 17, 2009
Golden Eagle volleyball set to open conference play at home
September 14, 2009
Culp honored as OVC Setter of the Week
September 12, 2009
Volleyball burned by the Flames in five, drop four-setter to unbeaten Toledo
September 11, 2009
Tech drops to first match of the Cardinal Classic
September 7, 2009
Kenline named OVC Defensive Player of the Week
September 5, 2009
Golden Eagles wear down the Tribe, pick up first victory of the season
September 5, 2009
TTU halted by Appalachian State
September 3, 2009
Golden Eagles prepare for Appalachian State Invitational
August 30, 2009
Western Kentucky leaves TTU with a winless opening weekend
August 29, 2009
Tech drops first two matches at Lady Vol Classic
August 27, 2009
Volleyball begins 2009 season at Tennessee Lady Vol Invitational
August 10, 2009
Defending champ volleyball team gets 2009 camp underway
June 18, 2009
Tech inks two-sport standout Stacey Butts