By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The long wait is finally over for the Tennessee Tech beach volleyball team, as the Golden Eagles will kick off their inaugural campaign Friday, Feb. 24 at Berry College's Tournament in Mount Berry, Ga.
Tech's first-ever competition will begin with a 9:00 a.m. CT match-up with Spartanburg Methodist Friday morning. A tilt with in-state foe Carson-Newman is slated for an 11:00 a.m. start to wrap up the first day.
Play will continue into Saturday, with the Golden Eagles squaring off with host Berry College in a 7:00 a.m. tilt. Wrapping up the tournament and opening weekend for the purple and gold is another 11:00 a.m. match, this time against Bob Jones University.
"Spartanburg Methodist and Bob Jones have a bunch of returners from last year's teams, and Berry and Carson Newman are 3-0 and 8-0, respectively," first-year head coach Zach Weinberg said. "As we find out more about how our athletes adjust to the competition, we'll play with the lineup accordingly. We're confident in any pairing that we slot into the lineup this weekend and we're ready to hit the sand."
Representing the purple and gold as the No. 1 pairing for opening weekend are Skylar Boom and Aleeya Jones. Boom enters her first year of beach competition after claiming All-Ohio Valley Conference Second-Team honors on the hardwood in the fall. Jones, a newcomer to the Tech squad for 2022-23, enters with a pedigree of competing in beach action.
"Heading into this first weekend, I like the lineup flexibility that we have achieved in practices with lots of mixed partner situations," Weinberg expressed. "Skylar and Aleeya have jived since day one, and their games compliment each other so well on the sand, so it made sense to slot them [to slot] into the 1's."
A pair of sophomores team up for the No. 2 grouping for Tech, with Madolyn Isringhausen and Jazmine Yamilkoski ready for their beach debuts. The No. 3 pairing for the Golden Eagles will consist of Brooke Amann and McKenna Young.
Competing at the No. 4 slot is the team of Morgan Gish and Jordan Karlen while the No. 5 duo will consist of mid-year transfer Bella Powell and Olivia Taylor. Rounding out Tech's squad for the weekend while competing in exhibition action are Katie DiRaimondo and Emma Pabon.
"So many of our other pairings are interchangeable, and that's exciting as a coach," Weinberg added. "I anticipate pairings and slots in the lineup changing at some point this weekend as we see how our competition pushes us in ways we haven't been pushed yet."
Up Next
The Golden Eagles will have a month to prepare for the first of two OVC Weekends of competition, kicking off league play at Chattanooga on Mar. 24 and 25. Tech will face Eastern Illinois in a 9:00 a.m. CT match and Lindenwood at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, Mar. 24, followed by a 9:00 a.m. tilt with reigning champ UT Martin and a 5:00 p.m. affair against the Mocs on Saturday, Mar. 25.
Photo by Emily Armstrong
