By Holly Weber, TTU Sports Information

Samord-UAB Challenge Match Notes

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. — With a solid opening weekend a week of practice behind them, the Tennessee Tech volleyball team (3-0) heads out to their second of four tournaments in the 2016 season beginning Friday. The Golden Eagles will travel to Birmingham, Ala., for the Samford-UAB Challenge where they will face opponents of Radford (3-0), co-host Samford (2-1), Northwestern State (0-3), and other co-host UAB (1-2). 

The Golden Eagles started off the year on a high-note, notching a 3-0 record to mark the best start a Purple and Gold team has had since the 2000 season when the Tech team tallied a 5-0 start. 

For her performance in last weekend's Catamount Volleyball Classic, senior Sharon Anderson received adidas® OVC Setter of the Week accolades on Aug. 29. Over the two-day, three-match tournament, the Burr Ridge, Ill., native posted 141 assists (11.75 per set) and 42 digs. Anderson also tallied two double-doubles on the weekend; her first versus UAB when she notched 53 assists and 22 digs in the match (leading the Golden Eagles in both categories), and the second when she totaled 48 assists and 11 digs in the contest. She notched 40+ assists in all three of the Purple and Gold's games, and her 141 total assists on the weekend ranked her first in the OVC and 12th in the NCAA. 

Newcomer Rachel Thomas is also making a name for herself on the Tech squad. The Okemos, Mich., native started off her freshman season strong when she tallied 32 kills, 7 blocks, and a .299 attacking percentage (best on the team). Thomas notched a season-high five blocks versus UAB to lead the Golden Eagles in the match, and currently stands as Tech's second leading point contributor with 36.0 on the season. 

Another Golden Eagle to watch this weekend is senior middle Alyssa Povey. The 6-3, Clifton, Idaho, native can be a threat on the court both offensively and defensively. Povey is known to not only put up big blocks, but to put down big kills at key points in the match as well. Currently, Povey leads Tech in blocks with 10 on the season, and is fourth in kills with 20. 

The Golden Eagles are a young team comprised of 12 underclassmen including six true freshmen. But what the Tech squad lacks in age, they make up for in intensity. With 18 players on the Purple and Gold roster, it is not uncommon to see almost everyone from the bench go into the match at some point. 

As a team, the Golden Eagles are currently hitting .220, which ranks them third amongst OVC teams. Thus far this season, Tech has tallied 171 kills, (14.25 kills per set), 162 assists (13.50 assists per set), 216 digs (18.00 digs per set), and 19 blocks (1.58 blocks per set). The Purple and Gold's 13.5 assists per set lands them first on the OVC leader board, while their 216 total digs marks them second, and their 19 blocks ranks them eighth. 

Looking closer at Tech's opponents this weekend, the Golden Eagles will face some familiar teams, but also one in which they have never played before. The Purple and Gold squad has competed against Samford, Northwestern State, and UAB; however, they have not faced off against Radford. Tech last took on Samford in the 2013 season when the Bulldogs defeated the Golden Eagles 3-0 to extend their series lead to 10-6. Against Northwestern State (NSU), Tech last competed against the Lady Demons in the 2010 year when the Golden Eagles topped NSU 3-0.

More recently, Tech and UAB competed against each other at the Catamount Volleyball Classic in Cullowhee, N.C. There, the Golden Eagles edged out the Blazers 3-2 with winning set scores of 25-19, 25-20, 14-25, 23-25, and 15-11. In the matchup, the Purple and Gold squad was led by junior K'Vonna Johnson who posted a career-high 21 kills in the match. This contest also marked Sharon Anderson's first double-double of the season (with 53 assists and 22 digs), as well as Rachel Thomas's season-high five blocks. Erika Zemblya, who tallied 21 kills in the contest, led UAB, while teammate Amber Trace picked up a double-double with 58 assists and 10 digs. 

The Golden Eagles kickoff the Samford-UAB Challenge on Friday with a 10 a.m. match versus Radford, and then round out day one with a contest versus Samford at 2 p.m. Tech will then close out play on Saturday with a match versus Northwestern State at 2 p.m., followed by a 6 p.m. contest versus UAB. 

You can follow the Golden Eagles online on Facebook on the Tennessee Tech Women's Volleyball and TTU Sports pages, or on Twitter @TNTechVball and @TTUGoldenEagles. 

Photo by Jim Dillon