By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – In a year that has seen the Tennessee Tech volleyball record books essentially rewritten from top to bottom, it seems only fitting that more history would be written as the Ohio Valley Conference announced its annual honors Saturday morning.
Senior outside hitter Madolyn Isringhausen and junior setter Jordan Karlen were each named to the All-OVC First Team while freshman outside Alayna Pierce joined the All-OVC Second Team. Highlighting the league's annual honors, Isringhausen was also selected as the OVC Player of the Year.
For the fourth straight year, at least three members of the Tech squad picked up end-of-year accolades from the OVC.
Isringhausen turned in one of the most dominant and decorated single-season performances in the history of the program, setting school records for service aces (58), kills per set (4.93), service aces per set (0.55), and points per set (5.70) during the rally-scoring era. During the year, the Edwardsville, Ill. native piled up a league-record eight OVC Offensive Player of the Week honors, including each of the final three weeks of the year.
The first player in Tech history to collect National Player of the Week honors, Isringhausen paced the OVC with 523 kills, 4.93 kills per set, 58 aces, 0.55 aces per set, 604.5 points, and 5.70 points per set, while also ranking eighth in hitting percentage with a mark of .291. The senior wasn't just the best in the league, but one of the best in the country, ranking third in the nation in points, fourth in kills, sixth in kills per set, seventh in points per set, ninth in service aces, and 14th in aces per set.
The fourth Golden Eagle in program history to earn OVC Player of the Year honors, joining an elite group of Kim Tunnell (1985), Becky Murray Isom (1986), and Leah Meffert (2008), Isringhausen also became just the fourth member of the Tech program to collect All-OVC First Team recognition three times, a club that features Murray Isom (1985-88), Meffert (2007-10), and Taylor Dorsey (2018-22).
The First Team nod was also the fourth All-OVC honor of Isringhausen's career, making her a member of a crew of just four other Golden Eagles to accomplish the feat, including Meffer, Dorsey, and Stephanie Busch (1997-00). The Tech leader cemented herself as one of the best to ever don the purple and gold, plastering her name all over the career rankings for the program.
Entering the OVC Tournament, Isringhausen ranks second in school history with 1,685 kills, 4,625 attacks, 168 service aces, 1,973.0 points, third with 0.36 aces per set and 4.22 points per set, fifth with 3.60 kills per set and 468 sets played, and 11th with 125 matches played. Additionally, she became just the 11th member of the program's Double Grand Club, securing more than 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs during her career.
"Our entire team is so incredibly proud of Maddie for earning the title of OVC Player of the Year," Tech head coach Jeannette Phillips expressed. "She has always done great things within this program, but this season, she is really playing from a different place. She is leading more confidently, she is playing more freely, and she is making more waves within our program and the OVC than ever. It's great to see her having so much fun and being rewarded for her successes."
Karlen joined the ranks of the elite with her second All-OVC First Team honor as a member of the Cookeville crew, becoming the first setter in program history to be selected to the First Team twice. It also marked her third career All-OVC accolade, after picking up Second Team honors last season.
The Janesville, Wis. native led the league with 1,191 assists and 11.24 assists per set and ranked fifth with 0.32 service aces per set. Karlen consistently dropped her name among the nation's elite during the year, heading into the weekend ranked fourth nationally in assists per set and fifth in total helpers.
Throughout the year, the junior collected a school-record seven OVC Setter of the Week honors, becoming just the second player in league history to post seven or more in a single season. It also extended her program marks for career weekly recognitions to 16 and career Setter of the Week nods to 13. Karlen's 13 Setter of the Week awards also rank as the third most for a career in conference history.
With one season still to go in Cookeville, Karlen has already made a lasting impact on the program, ranking second in school history with 10.35 assists per set and fifth with 3,374 total assists. She needs just 118 more digs to become just the second setter in school history to join the Double Grand Club, making a clear impact not just on the offensive end of the court, but defensively as well.
"Jordan, simply put, is inspiring," Phillips explained. "She is so driven in everything she does and she is constantly growing as a player and a leader on our team. She has been amazingly consistent this entire season, putting up unmatched numbers and earning several accolades along the way. Through all of her successes, she remains a humble teammate and attacks every competition with a smile. Jordan has already left such a lasting impression within our program in so many ways, and she is far from done. Knowing her, she still has many exciting things ahead. We are so proud of Jordan; she really is one of a kind."
Representing the bright, young future of the Golden Eagles, Pierce became just the third rookie in school history to be named to an All-OVC First or Second Team. The Genoa, Ill. native finished the regular season ranked sixth with 3.47 points per set and seventh with 3.08 kills per set.
Pierce piled up three OVC Freshman of the Week honors on the year, becoming just the second Golden Eagle ever to pick up three such awards, joining her teammate Jordan Karlen. The freshman finished second on the team with 283 kills, third with 2.64 digs per set, and fourth with 243 total digs.
"AP has really stepped up for us this season," Phillips said. "In preseason, she started a little shy and was humbled by some of the moments she had in front of her, as most freshmen do. Once she found her rhythm, however, she hasn't looked back. She earns the respect from her teammates daily by always showing up to the grind, and we are all so proud of all that she has already accomplished in her young career at Tech. She has much more coming, so stay tuned. This is a very exciting start to her career and we are so proud of her."
Tech will now set its sights on the OVC Tournament, hosted by No. 1 seed Southeast Missouri in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Sunday, Nov. 24 through Tuesday, Nov. 26. The No. 3 Golden Eagles will focus their attention on Sunday's quarterfinal match-up with Little Rock, featuring a 1:00 p.m. CT start in Houck Field House.
Photos by Jim Dillon