By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Squaring off with in-state and Ohio Valley Conference rival Austin Peay for the second day in-a-row, the Tennessee Tech volleyball team fell to the Governors in the Dunn Center Monday, 3-0 (25-18, 25-23, 25-22) to wrap up its opening weekend of the 2020-21 season.
For the second time in as many contests, Louisville native Skylar Boom turned in a strong performance for the purple and gold, pacing the visitors with 10.5 points. The sophomore middle blocker shattered her career-best tally with four solo blocks and tied her total blocks mark with a team-high five. She hit .429 with six kills and zero attack errors.
Making her season debut, sophomore middle blocker Dallas Oatis led the Golden Eagles with seven kills while adding a block assist to the mix. Junior setter Ashley Hand once again was the team leader in assists, turning in 24 to go along with a kill and three blocks.
Also for the second-straight tilt, rookie libero McKenna Young was at the top of Tech's leaderboard for digs, recording 17 with a pair of assists.
"We never really got into a rhythm today," Tech head coach Jeannette Waldo explained. "We were always in the fight, but we didn't seem to have the right weapons when needed them."
The opening set came down essentially to an 11-1 run by the Govs after the Golden Eagles took a 6-5 lead. Trailing by nine, Tech chipped away with a 7-2 streak of its own, cutting the deficit to just 19-16. The two sides battled before Austin Peay closed things out with three straight points.
Game number two saw another early Gov run set the stage early, with the purple and gold staring a 10-3 deficit down during its first timeout. The break worked, as Tech clawed its way back to within a pair in no time.
Austin Peay gathered some momentum in opening a 22-17 advantage, but the Golden Eagles answered right back, throwing a haymaker of a 6-1 run to knot the set at 23-23. Following a Gov timeout, the home team snagged a pair of points to wrestle the set away from Tech, 25-23.
The third and final set didn't see more than a two-point lead until the Govs racked up three straight kills for a 15-10 advantage. Tech replied in kind, winning four of the next five points to bring things back to within two. A few plays down the line, the Golden Eagles squared things up at 19-19, only to see Austin Peay turn in a four-point run.
One last push allowed the visitors to score three of the next four points, pulling things to 24-22 in favor of Austin Peay, but the Govs snagged the last point to claim victory.
"There were some bright lights in Dallas and Skylar offensively," Waldo expressed, "so that was nice to see. McKenna also performed very well over the course of the weekend in her libero debut, but we need to develop some consistency fast as we head into our first home contest."
The Golden Eagles will return to Cookeville to host their season opener in the Hooper Eblen Center Sunday, Feb. 14 against Eastern Illinois at 7:00 p.m. CT. The two teams will face off again on Monday, Feb. 15 in the Hoop, with first serve slated for 4:00 p.m.
Photo by Robert Smith, APSU Athletics
