By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Coming off a spectacular inaugural campaign in 2023, the Tennessee Tech beach volleyball team embarks on the 2024 opening weekend of competition, heading to Mount Berry, Ga. for the Berry Kick-Off running Friday, Feb. 23 through Saturday, Feb. 24.
"The team couldn't be more ready to finally see someone else on the other side of the net this weekend," Tech head coach Zach Weinberg said. "We've had a great preseason training block and the time is right to test our level of play against some new, unfamiliar foes, but also against some common opponents from a season ago."
Action will kick off Friday morning, as the Golden Eagles are slated to meet up with LaGrange in a 9:00 a.m. CT tilt at Briggs Beach. Tech heads back out to the sand in the afternoon, squaring off with host Berry College in a 3:00 p.m. match-up.
On Saturday, the purple and gold continues the season-opening event with a 7:00 a.m. affair against Erskine. Play concludes for the Cookeville crew later in the morning, with Tech taking on in-state foe Carson-Newman at 11:00 a.m.
"When we played Berry and Carson Newman a year ago, in our very first weekend of competition in program history, we were not prepared for their level of play," Weinberg explained. "Those two duals will be a great test of how far we've come in a year."
Expected to guide the Golden Eagles to start the 2024 season is the No. 1 pairing of Madolyn Isringhausen and Bella Powell. The pair of veterans earned a combined 12 wins on the sand last season, with Isringhausen capturing a 7-5 mark and Powell delivering a 5-11 display.
Coming in at the No. 2 combo for Tech is graduate Skylar Boom and newcomer MK Roberts. Boom picked up six wins in her first year in beach last season while Roberts, a UNC Asheville transfer, brings a new look to the mix.
Lining up at the No. 3s is expected to be Aleeya Jones and Brooke Amann. The duo tallied 12 wins between the two of them a year ago, including eight from Amann and four from Jones.
With the 4s and 5s still to be determined, Weinberg has a number of options expected to make a play for the final two duo positions. McKenna Young returns after boasting a team-high 10 wins last season while Katie DiRaimondo brings back six victories to the pot.
Olivia Taylor represents another veteran presence for the purple and gold while Jazmine Yamilkoski returns after missing the indoor volleyball season due to injury. Last beach season, Yamilkoski was responsible for six Tech wins. Also available for the final two slots are Emma Pablon, who finished 1-0 in limited action in 2023, and Elena Wallace, a newcomer for the Golden Eagles.
Up Next
Next on the docket for the Golden Eagles is a trip to Columbia, S.C. Mar. 9-10 for the Carolina Challenge hosted by South Carolina. Tech will take on the host Gamecocks at 10:00 on Saturday, Mar. 9 before facing Eastern Kentucky later in the day at 2:00 p.m. Sunday's action starts with an 8:00 a.m. tilt against North Florida before the event wraps up with a 2:00 p.m. challenge against New Orleans.
Photo by Jim Dillon
