By Holly Weber, TTU Sports Information Coordinator
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - It was a long, hard fight for the Tennessee Tech volleyball team (0-1, 0-0 OVC) on Friday as 442 fans gathered to watch the opening season matches between the Golden Eagles and the Purple Aces. Tech was edged out by the University of Evansville (1-0), 3-2, during their season opener at the Wright State Invitational. Winning set scores for the Purple Aces were 25-19, 21-25, 25-20, 23-25, and 15-13.
"Today we got used to being on the court together," Golden Eagle Kellie Williams remarked. "We worked out some errors, and hope to come out cleaner tomorrow."
The Golden Eagles got off to a slow start in the first set, as the Purple Aces jumped out to an early 10-3 lead. A kill by Cody Dodd brought Tech within six points of Evansville, 15-9, however, the Purple Aces continued to hold strong and further extend their lead to 20-11. Back-to-back kills from Kellie Williams and Dodd brought the score within six points again at 20-14. After an Evansville timeout, Tech got on a run and pulled within three points of the Purple Aces at 20-17. However, Evansville maintained a strong defense and closed out the first set 25-19.
"We ran into some problems offensively," head coach Dave Zelenock remarked. "We need to work on being more solid with our passing, and to be more consistent, and stop making unforced errors.
It was a whole new game for the Golden Eagles in the second set. Tech opened play with a kill by Williams and controlled the match to create leads of 8-2 and 10-5. However, the Purple Aces would not give up without a fight. Evansville closed the gap, pulling within one point of Tech at 10-9, which forced the Golden Eagles to take a timeout and regroup.
After the break, Tech came out strong with a kill by Williams and extended its lead to 13-9. The Purple Aces kept a close match, not allowing the Golden Eagles to take more than a three-point lead before tying the score at 16-16. Back-to-back kills from Evansville's Gabriela Roman and Rocio Fortuny switched control over to the Purple Aces and allowed Evansville to take its first lead in the set at 18-17. A Golden Eagle timeout permitted the team to regain focus and pull ahead 21-18, before the Purple Aces had to call their own timeout to try and regain control. Tech was not jostled by the break and remained tough offensively to win the second set 25-21.
"Our timeouts are fact based," Zelenock said. "Our staff just reminds people of their jobs. We state the facts about what the other team is doing, and what we will do to counter it."
Evansville maintained control over Tech in the third set, taking leads of 7-2 14-11, and 16-13. The Golden Eagles persisted to battle with the Purple Aces and tied the set at 18-18, however, a strong Evansville offense and the minimization of errors gave the Purple Aces the edge and the third set, 25-20.
"We were pretty inconsistent," Zelenock remarked. "We were up and down throughout the match with some pretty big highs and some pretty big lows, so we had to battle back."
Ties of 2-2, 7-7, and 11-11 began the fourth set between Tech and Evansville. Neither team pulled more than four points ahead of the other throughout the entire set. However, the Purple Aces kept a slight edge over the Golden Eagles and created leads of 15-13 and 20-16. Kills by Williams brought Tech back within one at 20-21 and then tied the match at 22-22. Here the Golden Eagles changed up the momentum of the match and kills by Williams and Sharon Anderson helped Tech edge out Evansville 25-23.
"The girls never stopped fighting," Zelenock remarked. "Even if we were down by nine or 12, they showed a lot of fight."
The fifth set started just the same as the fourth. A close match, and ties of 2-2 and 5-5 created high suspense for Tech and Evansville fans. The Purple Aces created slight leads of 8-5 and 10-6, however, the Golden Eagles rallied back and a kill by Williams cut the deficit down to one-point at 10-9. A kill from Evansville's Miranda Genesis brought the score to 12-10, however Williams responded with a kill of her own to close the gap to 11-12. However, the Purple Aces held strong and won the set and the match 15-13.
"Kellie is one of best outsides in conference," Zelenock continued. "We've been seeing it for over a year now. She has matured a lot from last year. She faced one of the biggest block she's ever seen in her career tonight, and she did a great job going through, up and around her."
The Golden Eagles were led by Williams who had 20 kills and a .273 attacking percentage. Senior, Dodd, opened her first match of the season with a double-double. Dodd acquired 14 kills and 22 digs in the match, while teammate Anderson contributed with 45 assists, 14 digs, and five kills. Genesis Miranda led the Purple Aces with 12 kills and 15 digs.
"We are excited for tomorrow," Williams commented. "We worked out everything tonight and we are ready to go for blood tomorrow and get some wins."
The Golden Eagles continue match play at the Wright State Invitational on Saturday. Tech will face Wright State in an 11:00 a.m. contest, followed by a 2:30 p.m. match-up against Niagara.
