By Holly Weber, TTU Sports Information
vs. Murray State & Austin Peay match notes
COOKEVILLE, Tenn.—The Tennessee Tech volleyball team (6-13, 2-4 OVC) will hit the road this weekend for two matches. The Golden Eagles will first face OVC opponent Murray State (10-8, 5-1 OVC) in a Friday night matchup at 7 p.m. The Purple and Gold team will then close out the weekend with a match at conference opponent Austin Peay (14-7, 5-1 OVC) on Saturday at 2 p.m.
The Golden Eagles saw success in their most recent contest versus UT Martin on Saturday, when Tech defeated the Skyhawks 3-1. The Purple and Gold squad saw winning set scores of 25-21, 25-17, 23-25, and 25-11.
Sophomore Shaneice James led the Golden Eagles with 13 kills, a .542 hitting percentage, and two blocks, while teammate Alyssa Povey totaled 12 kills, a .455 hitting percentage, and two blocks in the match. Senior setter Sharon Anderson grabbed 46 assists and 10 digs in the contest to notch her 10th double-double on the year.
Anderson recently took home adidas® Ohio Valley Conference Setter of the Week honors on Oct. 10, for her superb efforts over Tech's two matches last week. The Burr Ridge, Ill., native tallied 98 assists over eight sets, averaging 12.25 assists per set. Anderson led the Golden Eagles to a .193 hitting percentage on the weekend, while also tallying 23 digs and four blocks over the course of Tech's two matches to grab her second OVC Setter of the Week honors this season.
On the year, Anderson has tallied 630 assists and 200 digs. Her 9.69 assists per set on the season rank her fourth amongst OVC players thus far.
Cleveland, Ohio, native and middle blocker James currently leads the Golden Eagles in hitting percentage with a .359 mark on the year. Her hitting percentage thus far this season also ranks her first in the OVC.
Sophomore Sheleane Little leads Tech in kills with 162 (2.79 per set) on the year.
Senior Povey continues to serve as a dual threat offensively and defensively for the Purple and Gold squad. Povey has notched 127 kills (fourth most on the team) and 49 blocks (best on the team) so far this year. Currently, Povey maintains a .210 hitting percentage on the season.
Newcomer and true freshman Rachel Thomas is another key player on the Tech lineup. Thomas stands as the Golden Eagle's second lead attacker with 148 kills (2.11 kills per set) on the year. She has also posted 31 blocks on the season, the second best on the Tech team.
As a team, the Golden Eagles currently hit .153 on the season. Tech has tallied 819 kills, 772 assists, 1,210 digs, and 89.5 blocks on the year.
Amongst Ohio Valley Conference teams, the Golden Eagles rank first in digs (17.29 per set); eighth in assists (11.03 per set); ninth in kills (11.70 per set) and service aces (0.99 per set); 11th in hitting percentage (.153); and 12th in blocks (1.28 per set).
The Racers lead the series over the Golden Eagles 36-26.
Tech and Murray State last faced in the 2015 season when the Racers defeated the Golden Eagles in four sets (3-1). Murray State saw winning set scores of 22-25, 25-12, 25-22, and 25-19 in the contest.
Former Golden Eagle standout Cody Dodd led Tech with 22 kills and 23 digs in the contest. Sharon Anderson totaled 27 assists 14 digs in the contest, while Kennedy Wade grabbed 25 digs.
Scottie Ingram led Murray State with 16 kills and 20 digs in the match while teammate Sam Bedard put up 37 assists and 16 digs.
As a team, the Golden Eagles hit .043 to the Racers' .157. Murray State totaled 44 assists, 97 digs, and 12.0 blocks to Tech's 38 assists, 91 digs, and 6.0 blocks.
The Golden Eagles lead the series over the Governors 49-35.
Tech and Austin Peay last faced in the 2015 season when the Golden Eagles blanked the Governors 3-0. Tech saw set scores of 25-20, 25-17, and 25-21 in the match.
Cody Dodd led Golden Eagles with 14 kills and 10 digs while teammate Sharon Anderson collected 35 assists and nine digs in the match.
Kelly Ferguson led Austin Peay with nine kills and a .286 hitting percentage in the contest, while teammates Kristen Stucker gathered 15 assists and April Adams totaled 13 digs.
As a team, the Golden Eagles hit .225 to the Governors .055. Tech tallied 40 assists, 56 digs, and 6.0 blocks in the match to Austin Peay's 26 assists, 49 digs, and 4.0 blocks.
You can follow the Tech volleyball team online on Facebook on the TTU Sports and Tennessee Tech Women's Volleyball pages, or on Twitter at @TTUGoldenEagles and @TNTechVball.
Photo by Jim Dillon
