By Layne Weitzel, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Tech volleyball takes a break from travel this week, enjoying an extended stint at home with matches versus Nashville rivals Belmont and Tennessee State inside the Hooper Eblen Center.
First serve against Belmont is set for Friday, Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. CT, and Tennessee State is set for Saturday, Oct. 7 at 4 p.m. CT. Admission is free to all home Tech volleyball matches.
Coupled with another pair of home match-ups against Austin Peay and Murray State next week, these four matches make up Tech's longest stay at home this season.
Tech is coming off a weekend of OVC play in which it went 1-1, falling at Eastern Kentucky in five sets and winning at Morehead State in four for its first conference win of the season.
The Golden Eagles will look to improve their 11-13 all-time record against the Bruins and build on its 37-16 lead over the Tigers. They met each team twice in the 2016 season but did not record a win.
- 2016 overall record: 16-12
- 2016 OVC record: 10-7 (fell to No. 5 seed Eastern Kentucky 3-1 in the OVC Tournament first round)
- Predicted 2017 OVC finish: 1st/12 teams
- Notables: The Bruins, who were picked to win the conference in a preseason vote, stand at second in the OVC with a 3-1 league record. Through 17 sets in conference play, they lead the OVC in opponent hitting percentage, allowing just a .151 clip. Offensively, Belmont is led by senior outside hitter Arianna Person, who ranks fifth in league matches with an average of 3.33 kills per set.
- 2016 overall record: 17-16
- 2016 OVC record: 7-4 (fell to No. 3 seed Austin Peay 3-1 in the OVC Tournament first round)
- Predicted 2017 OVC finish: 8th/12 teams
- Notables: Reigning OVC Newcomer of the Week, junior opposite/middle blocker Rachel Henderson, comes off a career-high 21-kill performance vs. Eastern Illinois. In the Tigers' two matches last week vs. EIU and Belmont, she totaled 39 kills, a .392 hitting percentage and 13 blocks.