By Jonathan Caudle, TTU Sports Information
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Tennessee Tech volleyball will see their first non-tournament action of the year on Tuesday as the Golden Eagles head to Evansville to take on the Evansville Aces. First serve is set for 6 p.m.
The Golden Eagles are coming off a weekend that saw Tech go 2-1 and pick up their first two wins of the season in dominating fashion at the Chattanooga Classic. Tech fell to host Chattanooga on Friday, 3-1, but bounced back in a huge way on Saturday as they swept North Alabama and Manhattan to finish as tournament runner-up.
Team Notes
- The Golden Eagles recorded their first two wins of the season in Cleveland, earning a pair of sweeps over North Alabama and Manhattan.
- Junior Ali Verzani led TTU offensively with 45 kills, securing match-highs of 15 and 14 against North Alabama and Manhattan, respectively, and tying for a match-high in Tech's loss to Chattanooga.
- She hit for a phenomenal .353 over the three-match tournament, while collecting 28 digs over the weekend, narrowly missing a double-double average (9.33).
- Sophomore Taylor Dorsey was another offensive weapon for the Golden Eagles as she tallied a season-high 11 kills against Chattanooga and then tied the season-high against Manhattan.
- Dorsey also produced a season-high five blocks in the match against North Alabama.
- Verzani and Dorsey were named to the Chattanooga Classic All-Tournament team following their dynamic performances during the three-match tournament.
- Sophomore Ashley Hand had the best weekend of her career in Cleveland as she surpassed her previous career-high in all three contests and set a new one of 36 against Chattanooga.
- Freshman Carly Skrabak was a dominant force for the Tech back row during the Chattanooga Classic as she set a new career-high 20 digs against North Alabama.
Scouting the Purple Aces
The Purple Aces opened the season to a 5-2 record. This past weekend, Evansville hosted the Dunn Hospitality Tournament. The Purple Aces went a perfect 3-0 during the three-game tournament, picking up four-set victories over Purdue Fort Wayne and Middle Tennessee, as well as a five-set battle against Eastern Illinois.
Leading the way for Evansville is Melanie Feliciano who has recorded 147 kills (5.44 per set) on the season. Feliciano has also collected the second-most digs and blocks for the Purple Aces with 86 and 14, respectively. Allana McInnis leads the team in assists with 294 on the season. Defensively, Hannah Watkins leads the Purple Aces up front with a team-leading 26 blocks. The Purple Aces back row is maintained by Gabriela Macedo with a team-leading 147 digs.
The Golden Eagles sit a game behind the Purple Aces in their all-time series, 6-7, with the last match coming as a thrilling five-set loss during the Golden Eagles' 2018 campaign.
The Golden Eagles' matchup against the Purple Aces will be broadcast live on ESPN+ (subscription required). Fans can also follow along with live stats available here.
Photo by Thomas Corhern