By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
OXFORD, Miss. – It was a dominant performance by the Tennessee Tech volleyball team Friday afternoon, as the Golden Eagles delivered a 3-0 sweep over Alcorn State to open play at the Ole Miss Invite at the Gillom Athletics Performance Center in Oxford, Miss.
The purple and gold held a steady advantage on the attack across the entire match, more than doubling Alcorn's output over the three sets of action. Tech piled up 40 kills to the tune of a .346 attack and racked up 10 service aces. On the other side, the Golden Eagles held the Lady Braves to just 19 terminations, a .131 hitting percentage, and zero aces.
Leading the offensive effort for the purple and gold were outside hitter Madolyn Isringhausen and right side Ava Schubert, each compiling eight kills in the match. The veteran Isringhausen hit a robust .400, compiling five digs while competing in just two of the three sets. The rookie Schubert smashed .429 on the day, chipping in four digs and a team-high two blocks.
Setter Jordan Karlen distributed the attack well throughout the day, racking up 29 assists and three digs. The reigning Ohio Valley Conference Setter and Freshman of the Year directed eight different teammates to at least three kills in the match and accounted for four of her own.
Libero McKenna Young led the team with six digs and three service aces while outside hitter Bella Powell chipped in three kills and three service aces of her own. Both Brooke Amann and Katie DiRaimondo delivered four terminations.
The Golden Eagles cruised in the opening set, jumping out to a 14-2 advantage and never looking back. Tech ended the set on an 11-9 run for a 25-11 win. The purple and gold rode the momentum into set two, snapping a 2-2 tie and leading the remainder of the way. Alcorn put up a fight as the set went on, but Tech proved too much for the Lady Braves, earning a 25-16 decision for a 2-0 lead.
In set three, Alcorn picked up its first lead of the entire match at 2-1, but the Golden Eagles flipped the script and pulled away down the stretch. The Lady Braves kept things to within three points before Tech turned in a 9-3 run to truly put things away. A service ace from Aleeya Jones provided the decisive point in the 25-15 win.
Tech will turn its focus to a pair of Saturday matches to close out the Ole Miss Invite, starting with a 10:00 a.m. CT match-up with South Dakota State. A 4:00 p.m. affair against the host Rebels will round out play in Oxford.
File photo by Jim Dillon
