By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – It was a doubleheader split for the Tennessee Tech volleyball team Saturday, as the Golden Eagles wrapped up the Chattanooga Classic with a 3-0 (25-20, 25-19, 25-19) victory over Troy and a 3-0 (25-15, 25-11, 25-14) loss at the hands of Virginia Tech at Maclellan Gym.
Kicking off the morning, the Golden Eagles continued a strong stretch of play with their third consecutive sweep, besting the Trojans 3-0 behind a .269 hitting percentage, 10 service aces, 38 kills, and an impressive 12 total blocks.
Tight for much of the first set, the purple and gold pulled away late, breaking an 18-18 tie with a 7-2 run for the early win. Troy looked to pull even in the second game of the morning session, owning a 19-17 advantage with a win in sight. Tech quickly ended that hope, running off eight straight points to end the set with a 25-19 victory and 2-0 lead in the match.
The Golden Eagles controlled a large portion of the third and final set against the Trojans, breaking an early 6-6 tie and never relinquishing control again. Tech went on to a sweet, 25-19 victory to collect its third straight sweep for the first time since throwing together five straight in October of 2008.
Junior Taylor Dorsey continued her strong showing in Chattanooga with 10 kills on a .500 attack percentage in the win. She also notched three block assists and an ace. The middle blocker moved into sixth place on Tech's career block assists list in the match, passing Cookeville native Cody Dodd.
Outside hitter Madolyn Isringhausen also contributed 10 kills, hitting .233 with a pair of aces and five total blocks. Setter Ashley Hand distributed 31 assists while libero McKenna Young accounted for a match-high 13 digs, as well as two aces. Freshman Payton Lombardi turned in a match-best four service aces in addition to five digs.
In the second match of the day, Virginia Tech took control early and used a robust defense to execute a 3-0 win over the Golden Eagles, holding Tech to an .031 attack percentage. The Hokies posted 11.0 total blocks in the victory.
Isringhausen led the attack for the purple and gold, compiling eight kills with a pair of service aces and three digs. Dorsey chipped in seven more kills and a pair of block assists, moving into 10th place in program history for total blocks.
Hand dished out 22 more helpers in the second game, accumulating the 2,000th assist of her collegiate career. She became just the 11th Golden Eagles in program history to accomplish the feat. Middle blockers Dallas Oatis and Taylor Dorsey were both named to the Chattanooga Classic All-Tournament Team for their work throughout the weekend.
Tech will conclude tournament and non-conference action with a trip to Tuscaloosa, Ala. for the Bama Bash Invitational. The event starts with a 2:00 p.m. CT tilt on Friday, Sept. 17 against Western Carolina. The Golden Eagles conclude things with a Saturday, Sept. 18 match at 1:00 p.m. against Houston and a 6:00 p.m. affair with host Alabama.
File photo by Jim Dillon