By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
MACOMB, Ill. – Another brilliant display of offense propelled the Tennessee Tech volleyball team to another 3-1 victory at Western Illinois Friday afternoon, as the Golden Eagles capped off a weekend sweep against their new Ohio Valley Conference rivals in Macomb, Ill.
Using a very similar recipe to Thursday evening's 3-1 triumph over the Leathernecks (7-16, 6-6), the Cookeville crew was spectacular in three of the four sets on the day, delivering another clutch victory to help keep the team in the hunt for a bid to the OVC Tournament.
Both sides fought back and forth in the opening set, with neither side taking more than a two-point lead until WIU pushed out front, 21-17. The Golden Eagles responded by rolling off a 5-0 run and pushing in front by a point.
The Leathernecks refused to give in without a fight, tying the match at 22 and responding to each of the next three Tech points to deadlock the set at 25-25. The visiting purple and gold finally broke through with back-to-back markers to claim a massive 27-25 victory behind 18 kills and a .359 attack.
Things went smoother in set two for the Tech squad, taking a 2-1 lead and never looking back. Cruising to a 25-17 win, the Golden Eagles racked up 15 more terminations while hitting .303 with five service aces.
Western Illinois kept things interesting in the match, using four blocks and 16 kills on a .368 attack percentage to earn a 25-18 decision and keep hope alive for the home crowd. That hope looked well invested early in the fourth set as well.
The home team pushed out to an 8-4 advantage, but the Golden Eagles would not be denied. Tech responded to the four-point deficit with a 10-2 run that put the visitors on top for good. WIU put forth two comeback bids, pulling to within a single point twice.
Leading 22-21, Tech finished things off with three straight kills, earning a 25-21 win to clinch the victory. The visiting purple and gold registered a whopping 19 kills in the set, smashing .395.
Junior outside hitter Madolyn Isringhausen led the charge for the Golden Eagles, crushing .405 with a season-high 22 kills. She added 15 digs to notch her 10th double-double of the year, sneaking in three service aces for good measure.
Sophomore Jordan Karlen directed the offensive attack on the day, piling up 50 assists for an average of 12.50 per set. Chipping in 12 digs as well, she also locked down her 10th double-double of the season.
Fresh off her season-high 21 terminations, outside Bella Powell contributed another 18 on Friday, hitting a robust .412 overall. Capping an impressive weekend, the junior delivered a season-best 15 digs to record her fifth double-double of the year.
Rookie right side Ava Schubert led the Cookeville squad with four blocks in the match, adding 12 kills to the mix as well. Middle blocker Emma Pabon totaled three blocks with six kills while fell middle Skylar Boom tallied five kills and two rejections.
Libero McKenna Young tied with Powell and Isringhausen for the team lead in digs, producing 15 to go along with six assists and two aces. Defensive specialist Aleeya Jones made it five Golden Eagles with double-digit digs, totaling 11 for the match.
Tech will wrap up its four-match road stretch next weekend, heading to Evansville, Ind. for a pair of matches at Southern Indiana. Play will begin Friday, Nov. 3 at 6:00 p.m. CT with the second tilt slated for a 2:00 p.m. start on Saturday, Nov. 4.
File photo by Jim Dillon
