By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – For the fifth time in six Ohio Valley Conference matches, the Tennessee Tech volleyball team took its opponent to five sets, rallying to defeat Lindenwood, 3-2, in the Hooper Eblen Center Saturday afternoon.
The purple and gold kicked off the match much like Friday night's, earning a relatively decisive victory in the opening set. Tech (6-11, 2-4) broke a 5-5 tie and never looked back, leading by as much as seven in a 25-20 victory.
The Golden Eagles hit .269 in the set, accounting for 11 kills, four service aces, and two blocks as a unit. Lindenwood (8-9, 4-2) answered right back in the second set, using a 5-0 run to pull away early and stay there through the end of a 25-19 win.
Set three went to the Lions in similar fashion, a 25-19 decision. After hitting .333 in the second set, the visitors from St. Charles, Mo. hit .361 in the third with 17 kills. The defense also held Tech to just eight in each of the two sets.
Things clicked better for both the offense and defense in the fourth set for the Golden Eagles. The Cookeville crew delivered 13 terminations, five service aces, and four blocks on its way to a strong, 25-20 win to force a fifth set.
Tech rode the momentum right into set five, pushing out front, 5-2, to force a Lindenwood timeout. The Lions never came within two points the rest of the match, as the Golden Eagles pulled away late to cruise to a 15-8 victory.
The offense and defense were spectacular again for the purple and gold in the final set, accounting for nine kills and three rejections in the dominant showing.
It was a trio of Golden Eagles turning in special performances on the day, including outside hitter Madolyn Isringhausen, freshman right side Ava Schubert, and graduate middle blocker Skylar Boom. Isringhausen led the match with 17 kills and five service aces, her second straight match with five aces. She also contributed nine digs and two blocks to the mix.
Schubert continued her impressive weekend, matching her season-high total of 15 kills from Friday night with another 15 on Saturday. The rookie hit an impressive .321 in the match while adding a block to the effort. Boom was a beast at the net, leading the match with eight total blocks and a pair of solo rejections. She added six kills to the effort as well. With the big day, Boom moved cracked the top-10 for Tech's all-time career total blocks list, moving into ninth in team history with 319. She also ranks just one solo stop away from Tech's all-time career top-10.
Defensive specialist Aleeya Jones registered three aces to help account for the team's season-high 12 in the department and posted eight digs. Libero McKenna Young led the match with 15 digs and chipped in three assists and an ace.
Sophomore setter Jordan Karlen turned in a match-high 42 assists while narrowly missing a double-double with nine digs. The Janesville, Wis. native also accounted for a season-high four blocks. Middle blocker Elena Wallace mixed in three kills and two blocks on the day as well.
Tech kicks off a three-match road stretch with a visit north at Morehead State on Tuesday, Oct. 10 at 5:00 p.m. CT. The Golden Eagles then make their way to Edwardsville, Ill. for two tilts at SIUE, including a 5:00 p.m. affair on Friday, Oct. 13 and 2:00 p.m. match-up on Saturday, Oct. 14.
Photo by Jim Dillon
