By Holly Weber, TTU Sports Information Coordinator

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - It was another battle as the Tennessee Tech (0-3, 0-0 OVC) volleyball team concluded tournament play at the Wright State Invitational on Saturday. The Golden Eagles faced opponents of Wright State (2-0) and Niagara (1-2), falling to both teams. Tech was blanked by Wright State 3-0, and then lost to Niagara 3-1. Winning set scores for the Raiders were 25-10, 25-19, and 25-15, while the Purple Eagles prevailed 25-21, 15-25, 25-21, and 25-21.

"I think we did okay," said Golden Eagle senior Cody Dodd. "It wasn't our best showing, but it wasn't our worst either. We have a lot to learn and are ready to learn it."

In the match against Wright State, the Raiders took an early 5-0 lead in the first. Kills by K'Vonna Johnson, Shaneice James, and Cody Dodd brought Tech within three, 8-5, however Wright State continued to capitalize and went on a 9-2 run. From there, the Raiders continued to cruise to a 25-10 triumph.

"We came out flat and couldn't get anything going," remarked head coach Dave Zelenock. "I don't believe this showing was a representative of who we are as a team."

In the second, the Golden Eagles kept a tighter hold onto Wright state, opening with a 5-4 Raider lead. However, Wright State swiftly pulled ahead and created a five-point deficit, 10-5, over Tech. Here, the Raiders took advantage and extended their lead to eight points, 18-10. Wright State errors allowed Tech to come within five-points, 21-16, but the Raiders quickly regrouped with a timeout and came back to seal the second set 25-19.

The Raiders remained strong offensively in the third and took control of the set opening with a 5-1 lead over the Golden Eagles. Kills by Johnson, brought Tech within one, 4-5, however Golden Eagle errors allowed the Raiders to pull away and create a four-point lead, 9-5. Tech persisted and pulled within one, 9-8, but Wright State continued to rally and pull ahead 20-11, before closing out the set 25-15.

James, Kellie Williams, and Johnson led the Golden Eagles against the Raiders with six kills each. Allison Morrett gathered 14 digs, while teammate Susan Jeziorowski tallied 18 assists. Wright State was led by Katie Klusman who totaled 13 kills and 10 digs.

"I saw a lot of great athleticism this weekend," remarked Zelenock. "We had some good pieces of the puzzle, just didn't put them together right. We need to work on our consistency."

Tech gave a tough fight in the match against Niagara. The Golden Eagles opened play with kills from Williams and Alyssa Povey, along with a Morrett service ace. The Purple Eagles stayed strong offensively and held ties of 4-4 and 8-8, before going on 7-2 run to pull ahead 15-10. Back-to-back attacks by Povey and Sharon Anderson brought Tech within three, 20-17, however, despite the Golden Eagles attempts to battle back, Niagara remained dominant and finished the set 25-21.

Tech opened the second set with kills from Williams and Dodd, 2-0, however, Niagara competed and tied the score at 5-5. The Golden Eagles then went on a 10-2 run to pull ahead 15-7. Tech continued to capitalize on its lead and pulled ahead by 10 at 20-10. The Golden Eagles minimized errors and kept a strong defense, highlighted by three blocks each from Dodd and James, to win the third set 25-15.

"We put our starters back in second set and got an energy boost after Cody went back in and started doing well," said Zelenock. "We set a nice match and passed well."

Tech continued to play with high intensity going into the third set. The Golden Eagles took an early 8-3 lead and remained aggressive to pull ahead by six, 12-6. However, Niagara regrouped and went on an 8-1 run to take the lead over Tech, 14-13. From there, the teams kept a close battle staying within one point of each other until the Purple Eagles took the first lead at 22-20 and persisted to close out the third set 25-21.

Niagara and Tech continued to battle in the fourth. Holding within two-points of another throughout the first half of the set, it wasn't until the Purple Eagles went on a 3-0 run that a team pulled ahead by four at 18-14. The Golden Eagles battled to pull within one at 18-17, and continued to fight to tie the score at 19-19. Tech continued to fight to take control, but Niagara held on to win the fourth set and the match 25-21.

"We have a lot to do this week," continued Zelenock. "We probably averaged eight to nine hitting errors a set. We can't afford to give away points. It doesn't matter who's on the other side of the net. It's all about us, and that is what we will work on."

Dodd led the Golden Eagles with 15 kills, four blocks, and a .216 hitting percentage. Povey tallied 12 kills and five blocks, while Wade gathered 19 digs and Anderson totaled 45 assists. The Purple Eagles were led by Melissa McGwin who acquired 14 kills and seven blocks.

"We are excited for the next tournament," continued Dodd. "This week was a learning experience for us, and we can only go up from here."

Tech continues play on Thurs.-Sat., Sept. 3-5, when they travel to Knoxville, Tennessee for the Tennessee Volleyball Classic. The Golden Eagles will face Tennessee in a 6 p.m. contest on Thursday, North Florida in an 11:30 a.m. match-up on Friday, and UNC-Greensboro on Saturday with first serve slated for 11:30 a.m.