By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – It was a five-set heartbreaker for the Tennessee Tech volleyball team Friday evening, as the Golden Eagles fell to visiting Lindenwood in the Hooper Eblen Center, 3-2.
The purple and gold competed in its fourth five-set match of Ohio Valley Conference play this season, falling for the third time to the Lions (8-8, 4-1).
Tech (5-11, 1-4) kicked off the night with a relatively dominant win in set one, gradually pulling away from the visitors and holding on for a 25-21 decision. The Cookeville crew snapped a 6-6- stalemate on a 4-0 run and never let the Lions back into the set, pulling ahead by as much as eight.
In set two, the Golden Eagles looked well on its way to a 2-0 lead in the match after taking a 13-9 lead, but Lindenwood had other ideas. The visitors from St. Charles, Mo. tied the match and eventually took control at 24-19. Tech pushed hard for a rally, pulling to within a point before the Lions tied the match at 1-1.
The two sides fought tooth-and-nail the remainder of the match, starting with a third set that saw the Lions outlast the Golden Eagles 25-22. Lindenwood moved out front following a 16-16 tie and never looked back.
The Golden Eagles erupted out of the gates in set four to take a 4-0 lead. It stayed intact until the Lions evened the set at 18-18, and then 21-21. The purple and gold scored back-to-back points and then traded two more back-and-forth with Lindenwood to secure a 25-23 win and force a decisive set five.
Set five was an absolute war between the two sides, with Lindenwood jumping out to a 7-2 advantage. The Tech squad put up a tremendous fight, battling back with a pair of 3-0 runs to take an 11-10 lead. The Golden Eagles moved to within set point with a 14-12 lead, but the Lions rallied to score four straight and stun the purple and gold with a 16-14 win.
It was a tie at the top of the kills list for the purple and gold, with junior outside Madolyn Isringhausen and freshman right side Ava Schubert each tallying 15 for the effort. Isringhausen also contributed a season-high five service aces, nine digs, and two block assists.
For Schubert, it marked a season-high total for the rookie, who also added seven digs to the mix. Setter Jordan Karlen delivered her sixth double-double of the year with 44 assists and a season-high 18 digs, chipping in two blocks as well.
Five other Golden Eagles accounted for at least one assist on the night, including libero McKenna Young. The junior piled up five helpers and a season-high-tying 22 digs, her fourth match of the year topping 20 digs.
Middle blocker Skylar Boom turned in eight kills and three blocks to the effort while fellow middle Emma Pabon registered five kills and a team-high five rejections. Outside hitter Brooke Amann contributed a season-high six kills with five digs and two blocks of her own.
Libero Aleeya Jones tacked on nine digs for the Tech defense while outside hitter Bella Powell posted six kills, five digs, and two stops.
The Golden Eagles will square off one more time with the Lions on Saturday afternoon with a 2:00 p.m. CT tilt in the Eblen Center. Following Saturday's match, the Tech volleyball team will hold its annual Youth Day, hosting a 30-minute minute clinic followed by an autograph session. The event is free and open to kids in sixth grade or younger. To register, please fill out this form or contact Raven Guilford at 931-372-3709.
Photo by Jim Dillon
