By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – It was a successful day in Cookeville for the Tennessee Tech beach volleyball, as the Golden Eagles claimed a split in a pair of duals with Ohio Valley Conference rival Morehead State while competing at the Tech Beach Volleyball Courts for the first time in program history.
After narrowly falling to the visiting Eagles by a final score of 3-2 in the opening match of the day Sunday afternoon, the Golden Eagles rallied for a 3-2 victory of their own in the second tilt. It represented their first home win in program history and the team's second in OVC play this season.
It was a nail-biter in the opening dual of the day, as the Golden Eagles opened things with a three-set triumph in the No. 5 position behind Jazmine Yamilkoski and Katie DiRaimondo. The Tech teammates picked up a 21-16 win in the first set before falling by the same score in the second. Not to be deterred, Yamilkoski and DiRaimondo eked out a 15-11 decision in the third set for the first point of the day.
Morehead's No. 4 duo responded to even the match at 1-1, downing the Tech grouping of McKenna Young and Morgan Gish, 12-21, 21-18, and 15-9. The visiting Eagles flipped the advantage to their side in the No. 3 slot, besting Golden Eagles Madolyn Isringhausen and Brooke Amann in another three-set thriller, 21-16, 15-21, 15-9.
In need of a big performance, the purple and gold got just that from its No. 2 spot, with Skylar Boom and Jordan Karlen joining forces for a massive two-set win. The Tech combo worked a lengthy opening set to the tune of a 25-23 win and followed it up with another tight, 21-19 victory in the second to square the dual at 2-2.
In the No. 1 position, things came down to the very end in a two-set battle, with Aleeya Jones and Bella Powell falling in the opener 21-15. The Tech duo fought tooth and nail in the second set, holding a lead much of the way before eventually falling by a score of 22-20.
"What a great day at the Golden Eagle beach courts for our first-ever home matches," Tech head coach Zach Weinberg expressed. "I'm really proud of how we battled back and showed a ton of resiliency after dropping a tight first dual, 3-2, to turn right around and win the second, 3-2. We talked a lot about seizing our opportunities when they presented themselves and taking calculated risks when we could, and we did a much better job of doing that in the second dual."
Tech responded in a huge way in the second dual, running right out and grabbing the first three points to clinch the victory and leave no doubt. The No. 5 combo of Yamilkoski and DiRaimondo dominated for wins of 21-14 and 21-17 to set the tone right out of the gates.
Next to cement a point for the Golden Eagle effort was the No.3 duo of Isringhausen and Amann, coming out on top in a roller coaster, three-set fight. The pair powered past Morehead 21-17 in the opening set before narrowly falling in the second, 21-19. The two answered the bell in set three, producing an exclamation point win of 15-8 for a 2-0 Tech lead.
Minutes later, the Tech duo of McKenna Young and Morgan Gish cemented the victory for the Golden Eagles in the No. 4 slot. Despite falling in the opening set 21-16, the two soared back for a 21-14 win. In the third set, it was the Golden Eagle combo celebrating, besting its Morehead counterpart 15-12.
The visiting Eagles salvaged two-set wins in the No. 1 and No. 2 positions, but in the end, the purple and gold walked away with an OVC split and its first-ever home victory as a program.
"Jaz and Katie had an amazing day in the 5's," Weinberg explained. "They played with so much confidence, never got rattled, and walked away with two hard-earned wins on the day. Katie especially was a point-scoring machine today and it was great to see that from her. Across the board, we had so many good moments on the day that we can carry with us into practice and ultimately OVC Weekend No 2."
The Golden Eagles will wrap up the 2023 regular season with its second OVC weekend, competing at Morehead State Apr. 21-22. Tech will take on UT Martin at 7:00 a.m. CT on Friday, Apr. 21 followed by a 1:00 p.m. tilt with Lindenwood. The purple and gold wrap up the weekend on Saturday, Apr. 22 with a 9:00 a.m. match-up against Chattanooga and 3:00 p.m. contest with Eastern Illinois.
"I want to give a special thank you to [Director of Athletics] Mark Wilson, [Assistant A.D. for External Relations] Matt Dexter and his facilities team, [Director of Video Production and Marketing] Jordan Ratti and her marketing and video team, and everyone else who had a hand in making these first-ever home matches a huge success. The crowd was amazing, the facility was the best it's ever looked, and ultimately, their work provided the best experience for our student-athletes, and we couldn't have done it without them. Thank you to all of our fans for coming out and supporting us. Wings Up!"
Photo by Jim Dillon
