By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech volleyball team ran into a buzzsaw in the form of Cincinnati Saturday afternoon, as the purple and gold fell to the red-hot Bearcats 3-0 in the final match of the Golden Eagle Invitational presented by Holiday Inn of Cookeville.
Champions of the event following a 3-0 weekend, Cincinnati looked unstoppable for two sets, riding a dynamic attack and strong defense for a 2-0 lead. The visitors from Cincy hit .357 with 15 kills to win the opening set 25-13, holding Tech to just six terminations and an .040 attack.
That stingy play was essentially on repeat in set two, as the Bearcats tallied 14 attack points on a .394 efficiency while limiting the Golden Eagles to seven kills and .027 hitting percentage for a 25-13 win. Tech remained resilient, finding and grinding through a grueling third set, playing point-for-point with the Big 12 foe.
The Golden Eagle never trailed by more than two points in the opening half of the final game, holding the lead as late as 16-15. The Bearcats finally pulled away down the stretch, ending the match on a 4-0 run for the 25-20 victory.
The purple and gold racked up 13 kills and 18 digs in the set, but another 16 kills for Cincy proved to be just too much for the Golden Eagles to overcome.
Outside hitter Madolyn Isringhausen led Tech's effort with nine kills on the day, chipping in five digs as well. Middle blocker Skylar Boom added seven terminations to the effort while libero Aleeya Jones piled up eight digs.
Sophomore setter Jordan Karlen flirted with a double-double behind 23 assists and eight digs. The reigning OVC Setter and Freshman of the Year, she earned a spot on the Golden Eagle Invitational All-Tournament Team, the first of her career.
Rookie Jillian Shaneyfelt contributed a season-high seven digs in two sets of plays while Brooke Amann picked up two kills and six digs in her first action of the weekend.
Tech will return to action next weekend with a trip to Oxford, Miss., competing in the Ole Miss Invite. The Golden Eagles kick off the action on Friday, Sept. 8 with a 4:00 p.m. CT tilt with Alcorn State. Play continues on Saturday for the purple and gold, with a double dip of South Dakota State at 10:00 a.m. and the host Rebels at 4:00 p.m.
Golden Eagle Invitational presented by Holiday Inn All-Tournament Team
Cincinnati - Jadyn Bauss (MVP)
Cincinnati - Abby Walker
Cincinnati - Zeta Washington
ETSU - Malgorzata Andersohn
Kennesaw State - Shelby Dennis
Kennesaw State - Manu Johnsen
Tennessee Tech - Jordan Karlen
Photo by Jim Dillon
