By Holly Weber, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn.—Preseason is nearing the end, however, the Tennessee Tech volleyball team continues to work hard every day to prepare for their upcoming season. Rounding out the 2016 roster are five Golden Eagle middles including: senior Alyssa Povey, sophomores Shaneice James and Sydney Lemon, and freshmen Rachel Thomas and Taylor Houck.
"As middles, we had a little bit of a rough start coming into preseason," Golden Eagle senior Povey commented. "But we have come back with better mindsets and are going back to what we worked so hard on in the spring. Overall, we are focused on having a solid block defense and being aggressive in offense. The incoming freshmen have really shown a lot of their strengths and I am looking forward to seeing more from them. Everyone is looking really great and I am excited for this upcoming season to start."
Clifton, Idaho, native Povey returns to Tech for her third and final year in the Purple and Gold. In the 2015 season, Povey saw action in 116 sets over 31 matches, recording a career-high 12 kills against Niagara (Aug. 29) and a career-best eight blocks versus Belmont (Nov. 7). She also tallied 164 kills, a team-high 87 blocks, and 43 digs on the season.
"Povey is our oldest, she's been with us three years now," head coach Dave Zelenock said. "Every year she gets smarter in the position and learns more how to score."
Another familiar face returning to the Golden Eagle squad is 6-0 Cleveland, Ohio, native James. In her 2015 freshman season, James saw 115 sets over 30 matches. She set a season-best 12 kills against Jacksonville State (Sept. 29) and a career-high six blocks versus UNC-Greensboro (Sept. 5). James finished off the year totaling 102 kills, 85 blocks, and 155 points.
"Shaneice and Sydney are both sophomores, but play the game quite differently," Zelenock continued. "Sydney plays more of a power game and Shaneice plays more of a speed game. But they are still trying to learn how to score in Division I volleyball and be efficient while doing it."
Also returning to the Tech team is Indian Wells, Calif., native Lemon. Lemon did not see much action in the 2015 season, playing in 22 sets over 12 matches. She tallied nine kills and eight blocks on the season for the Purple and Gold.
New to the Golden Eagle lineup this season is Okemos, Mich., native Thomas. Thomas suits up in the Purple and Gold after a stellar high school career. She is a three-year letterwinner out of Okemos High School, where she played primarily as a middle and outside under the direction of head coach Jamie Ianni. Over the course of her prep career, Thomas totaled 788 kills, 201 blocks, 137 service aces, and 559 digs. She also compiled a 103-34-6 career record while leading her team to a CAAC League Championship in 2013 and 2015.
"Our little ones [Thomas and Houck] are more of right sides now," Zelenock continued. "But they both can play middle and have in high school and club. Right now they are predominately right sides for us. And kind of the same thing, they play the position differently from each other. Rachel plays more like we are used to with Cody [Dodd]: big size and a big arm and just rips at the ball. Taylor is more of an undersized right side. Super athletic, but she plays with the speed and bounces around. She is in front of the setter, behind the setter, kind of all over the place. So it will give us a lot of different looks for our offense and defense when we switch those kids in and out."
Houck joins the Tennessee Tech team from Fletcher, N.C. She unites with the Golden Eagles after a four-year volleyball career at West Henderson High School. There, Houck averaged 12 kills, three blocks, and 10 digs per match. She was named to the All-Conference and All-Area teams as well as selected to the Under Armor watch list. Houck also led her team to three conference championships and one regional championship.
