By Holly Weber, TTU Sports Information
Idaho Volleyball Classic Tournament Page
Idaho Volleyball Classic Match Notes
COOKEVILLE, Tenn.—The Tennessee Tech volleyball team will travel to Moscow, Idaho for the Idaho Volleyball Classic on Thursday for their last tournament before beginning Ohio Valley Conference matchups. There, the Golden Eagles will face opponents of Oregon State (4-4), Idaho (4-5), and Wyoming (3-5); the Vandals being the only school the Golden Eagles have competed against prior.
The Vandals lead the series 1-0 over the Golden Eagles. The last time Tech and Idaho faced was in the 2015 season, when the Vandals came to Cookeville for the Golden Eagle Invitational presented by Hampton Inn. There, Idaho defeated Tech 3-0 with set scores of 25-19, 25-17, and 25-20.
In the match, the Golden Eagles were led by former Tech standout, Cody Dodd. Dodd posted 11 kills and 11 digs in the match. Sharon Anderson tallied 25 assists and 10 digs for the Purple and Gold team as well. Idaho was led by, now junior Becca Mau. Mau totaled 10 kills in the match, while former teammate Natalie Jensen posted 21 assists.
Leading the way for the Purple and Gold team this season is Shealene Little. On the year, Little has tallied 92 kills, 91 digs, and 99.0 points.
Sharon Anderson is also doing big things for the Golden Eagle team. Currently ranked at the top of the OVC for her 350 assists (10.00 assists per set), the Tech senior has already tallied five double-doubles on the year. Most recently notching one against Middle Tennessee where she totaled 46 assists and 14 digs.
Senior Kennedy Wade is another key player on the Golden Eagle squad. Wade has notched 166 digs on the season to lead Tech. Wade is also currently ranked third in the OVC for her 4.61 digs per set.
As a team, the Golden Eagles have tallied 440 kills, 415 assists, 628 digs, and 59.5 blocks on the season. Tech maintains a .170 hitting percentage on the year, while averaging 12.22 kills, 11.53 assists, 17.44 digs, and 1.65 blocks per set.
The Golden Eagle's 17.44 digs per set ranks them first in the OVC, while their 44 service aces (1.22 per set) marks them second. Tech also ranks fifth amongst OVC schools in kills and assists, while ranking seventh in blocks.
The Golden Eagles kick off play on Thursday with a 9 p.m. contest versus Oregon State. Tech then rounds out tournament play on Friday with a 2:30 p.m. match against host Idaho State and a 6:40 p.m. contest versus Wyoming.
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