COOKEVILLE, Tenn. --- With just two weeks remaining in the 2011 regular season, the Tennessee Tech volleyball team will wrap up its four-match road trip this weekend as it takes on Eastern Illinois Friday, at 7 p.m., and SIU Edwardsville Saturday, at 2 p.m.
So far on the season, the duo of sophomore Natalie Penrod and freshman Ellen Conti have led the Golden Eagle offense with a combined 479 kills. Both Conti and Penrod are averaging at least 2.5 kills per set and have played in a combined 174 sets.
On defense, junior Kelsey Gray and sophomore Allison May have continued to stand out. Gray, who is seventh in the conference in blocks, leads the Golden Eagles with 83 total blocks, including 30 solo tallies. May, who is fifth in the OVC in digs, has tallied 450 on the season and is just 16 away from reaching 1,000 career digs.
The EIU Panthers enter the weekend the owners of a 9-19 overall record and currently sit in ninth place in the OVC with a 6-11 conference mark. EIU won the first meeting against the Golden Eagles this season, and now leads the all-time series at 18-14.
The Panthers are led by Emily Franklin on offense, who has tallied 322 kills. Chrissie Albers has run the EIU offense, dishing out 792 assists, while Brittany Wallace has posted a team-leading 359 digs.
SIU Edwardsville currently sit in 10th place in the OVC with a 10-18 record, including a 5-11 mark in conference play. In their first meeting this season, the Golden Eagles rallied from a 2-1 deficit to take the first match ever between TTU and SIUE 3-2, behind Conti's career-high 21 kills.
The Cougars have three players with more than 200 kills on the season, including Kelsey Augustine, who leads the team with 248. Sammi Minton ranks fifth in the OVC in assists with 1,117, while Chelsea Colclasure ranks fourth in the league in digs with 537.
After their road trip the Golden Eagles return home to Eblen Center for their final two matches of the regular season. TTU will take on Eastern Kentucky Friday Nov. 11, and Morehead State on Saturday Nov. 12
To view the livestats for the Eastern Illinois match click here
To view the livestats for the SIU Edwardsville match click here
To watch either match via webstream click here