By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
November 22, 2008
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The last two times Tennessee Tech and Murray State went toe-to-toe in the 2008 volleyball campaign, the home team won – decisively.
The Golden Eagles took the first meeting in Cookeville 3-1, falling in the first set, then taking the next three 25-19 in both the second and third, then 25-21 in the finale. The Racers swept Tech 3-0 in the final week of the regular season – 25-23, 25-13 and 25-16.
And after cruising to the 2008 Ohio Valley Conference Volleyball Tournament championship after a 3-0 sweep over Austin Peay, it was only fitting that the title match was going to be a slugfest.
But after an 11-year drought, the Tennessee Tech volleyball team (19-11) emerged the victor and earned the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, its first since 1997, by topping the Racers 3-2.
The Golden Eagles won the match after dropping the first set, 25-23, winning the second and third sets 25-15 and 25-20, then was edged 26-24 in the fourth to force the decider. Tech won it 15-12.
Senior Kappy Lang was named the tournament MVP, while junior Amanda Lindgren and sophomore Leah Meffert were named to the all-tournament team.
In the fifth and deciding set in the race to 15, the Golden Eagles jumped out to a 7-3 lead, but Sara Hayden and OVC Freshman of the Year Jade Guo got the Racers back within striking distance, while Kayleah Sauer served four straight times, drawing an attack error and a service ace to tie the set at nine.
A Lang feed to Meffert for the kill broke Sauer's string to retake the lead, but Murray's Ashley Nenninger and Logan Su picked up kills, while a Guo attack error knotted the set for the last time at 11.
The Golden Eagles surged following an MSU substitution, bringing Hayden and Cassie Chesney back into the match. On the Chesney serve, Lang put the ball in position to Jessica Asplund, who found an open spot to retake a 12-11 lead. Caitlin Bullock came in on a sub and immediately made an impact, claiming to kill to put Tech back up by two, 13-11.
After a Racer timeout, Su tried to swing the momentum back towards the Murray side, taking a pass from Guo and knocking it down for what was the Racers' final point of the match. An attack error by Becca Lamb forced match point, Tech leading 14-12.
Teresa Lamb came in for Marie Peddicord to serve, then as the ball came back to the Tech side, Lang set up Lindgren with the attempt and the junior came down with the kill, clinching the OVC crown.
For the Racers (18-13), Hayden ended the match with 17 kills, while Su had 16 and Lamb 10. Guo recorded 45 assists. Defensively, Murray had five players with double-digit digs, including 24 for Sauer. Alison Mugler had 15, while Heather Norris, Guo and Chesney each had 10. Guo had two solo and two assisted blocks.
The Golden Eagles were led offensively by Lindgren, who totaled 20 kills and 14 digs, as well as two assisted blocks. Meffert (16), Peddicord (15) and Asplund (13) each had double-digit kill totals. Lang had 62 assists in the match. Defensively, Meffert led the way with 24 digs, while Katie Kenline recorded 21, with Lang adding 13. Bullock had three solo blocks and two assists, while Meffert had two solo and two assists and Asplund finished with a solo and three assists.
