By Nate Perry, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Following a nonconference portion that featured its share of peaks and valleys, the Tennessee Tech volleyball team will embark on its conference schedule for the first time under head coach Jeannette Waldo, traveling for matches at Eastern Kentucky and Morehead State this weekend to get things started.
Tech has hit a rough patch over the past two weeks, dropping its last five contests after a 6-3 start.
However, despite coming up short at their most recent tournament, the Seattle U. Redhawk Invitational, Waldo was encouraged by her team's progression from the beginning of the weekend to the end, especially in its final match against Idaho State.
"We started out poorly, but our quality of play climbed as we went along, especially in the Idaho State match – our best of the weekend by far," she said. "I thought our focus on the concepts that are going to make us successful was much better."
At a team meeting on Monday, two of the major talking points were the increased value placed on the conference season, along with the opportunity to start fresh in another segment of the schedule.
"We talked about our priorities and giving 100 percent to our teammates," said Waldo. "Our players came back into the gym ready to go, and we have been practicing with a strong start to (the) conference (schedule) in mind."
The opening of the conference season marks a change in routine for the Golden Eagles as well. Gone are the days of preparing for three or four teams per weekend during round-robin tournament action.
"We are preparing for two opponents to play in two days now, which is a much better setup for us," Waldo said. "We had much better results at points earlier in the season – before the Chattanooga game, for example – when the schedule allowed us to prepare for one opponent, then play said opponent. We anticipate our players feeling much better about our routine now that conference matches have started."
That first conference match is tentatively set for Friday at 5 p.m. against Eastern Kentucky, but may be relocated due to condensation on EKU's home court inside Alumni Coliseum. Updates on that situation are forthcoming.
The Colonels have struggled mightily out of the gate, posting just one victory in their first 12 matches, but have also played some tough competition so far, having squared off with the nation's No. 4 team, Penn State, and four other clubs that have already accrued nine wins in 2018 (Cincinnati, New Mexico State, Indiana, UNLV).
Senior right side hitter Cassie Knutson's 2.57 kills per set leads EKU offensively, followed by middle blockers Mikayla Logan (1.60) and Kaylin Johnson (1.45).
Knutson will also slot in at setter for the Colonels, as she is second among the mainstays in the lineup with 58 total assists (1.38 per set), which trails only the 220 (5.24 per set) put up junior Rachel Woody, the team's primary option at the position.
Defensively, they are paced by senior libero Chloe Rojas, whose 4.36 digs per set sits fourth – one spot behind Tech's Kirsten Brugere – among the leaders in the Ohio Valley Conference.
"We do not claim to know all of the answers right now, and it seems that EKU is still looking for some answers themselves," said Waldo. "Records can be deceiving, so we won't advertise their record to our players, but this would be a great match for us to snag early in conference play."
"EKU has some good pieces that we will have to prioritize, but if we enter this match confident and stay aggressive, it should be ours for the taking."
Tech will follow up on Saturday afternoon against Morehead State, which has been one of the best teams in the OVC throughout nonconference action, amassing a 9-4 record.
Morehead has hosted two tournaments this season and posted a 5-1 record over the six matches therein, the best home mark in the league. One of those home wins is MSU's biggest on the season to this point, a five-setter over a Bradley team that has now won 10 matches.
Seven of Morehead State's nine victories have been in straight sets, including one over Hampton, the lone common opponent between MSU and Tech.
Several Eagles have posted impressive individual numbers to start the 2018 campaign, beginning with productive outside hitter Olivia Lohmeier, who has won the OVC's Offensive Player of Week in two of the season's four weeks.
Lohmeier is third in the OVC in points per set with 3.79 and sixth in kills per set with 3.20. She's also maintained a .258 attack percentage on 383 swings, which is second best on the team behind middle blocker Jessie Wachtman's .323, the third-highest mark in the conference.
"We know (Lohmeier) will get her kills, but we will try to make it harder for her to put the team on her back," Waldo said. "She has been proving that she is not afraid to swing hard and find a way to score. We will have to take some blocking risks and dig the ball well; it's really that simple."
Right behind Lohmeier is Lauren Rokey, who also has 383 attacks this season, and sits just outside the league's top 10 with 3.00 kills per set, giving the Eagles a formidable 1-2 punch with their outside hitters.
Morehead also features one of the top defensive middle blockers in the country in Maddie Fella. The 6-foot, 3-inch Fella ranks among the nation's elite in blocks per set with 1.75, which leads the OVC by a whopping 0.69. Fella collected a season-high 12 blocks against St. Francis Brooklyn on August 24.
Chandler Clark, MSU's sophomore setter, has posted two matches with 50+ assists, going for 53 at Marshall and a season-best 56 vs. Bradley. Her 10.21 assists per set is third-best in the conference.
"We will match up well against them," Waldo said. "We have been running our offense faster and faster, and as long as we stay in system, we are hard to stop offensively. We need to keep our first touch crisp so we can continue to attack and come out on top."
"We are excited to show this conference a new version of Tennessee Tech volleyball and gain the respect of our opponents once again."
Live Stats
Tennessee Tech at Eastern Kentucky
Tennessee Tech at Morehead State
Photo by Thomas Corhern
