By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – A fantastic weekend propelled Tennessee Tech volleyball freshman Jordan Karlen to her first two weekly honors from the Ohio Valley Conference, with the league announcing the youngster as both its Setter of the Week and Newcomer of the Week.
Karlen turned in a spectacular weekend leading the Golden Eagle offense, racking up 122 assists 10.17 assists per set, 30 digs, 2.50 digs per set, and five blocks. She helped the Tech attackers work up a .225 hitting percentage and added five kills of her own. Her efforts helped the purple and gold take home the Bobcat Invitational title with a 2-1 overall mark.
Not entering the team's 3-0 sweep of Loyola Maryland until late in the first set, the rookie still chalked up 29 helpers, including a whopping 17 in the third set alone. She ripped off 47 assists and a team-high 16 digs for a double-double in the five-set win over Bradley, adding three kills.
The freshman concluded the weekend with another 46 assists in the team's four-set victory over Ohio, clinching nine more digs and three blocks as well.
With the honors, Karlen became the first Golden Eagle since Ali Verzani in 2018 to collect multiple OVC awards in the same week, as well as the first to earn Newcomer of the Week.
Tech concludes its tournament slate at the WKU Invitational Sept. 16-17, squaring off with host WKU at 11:00 a.m. CT and Indiana at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. The event wraps up with a 12:00 p.m. contest on Saturday against Texas A&M.
Photo by Jim Dillon