By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
MOUNT BERRY, Ga. – It was a spectacular start to the 2024 season for the Tennessee Tech beach volleyball team on Friday, as the Golden Eagles picked up a pair of victories to open play at the Berry Kick-Off in Mount Berry, Ga.
On the Nos. 1 and 2 pairings for the purple and gold were needed in the team's opening match of the year, as LaGrange was forced to forfeit its pairings at No. 3, 4, and 5, due to a lack of available student-athletes. Regardless, Tech made sure to capture two more duos to claim a 5-0 victory to start the day.
Later in the afternoon, the Cookeville crew delivered a remarkable comeback after trailing to host Berry College 2-0 following the completion of action at the No. 4 and 5 duals. Tech turned in triumphs in the final three pairings to secure a very solid, 3-2 win to stay unbeaten on the year.
"What a great first day of the 2024 season," Tech head coach Zach Weinberg said. "The 1's and 2's handled their business against LaGrange in the morning match and what a great team win in the afternoon. To go down 2-0 and have the team rally to win 3-2 is a program-defining win."
In the first tilt of the day, Tech's No. 1 group of Madolyn Isringhausen and Bella Powell picked up a straight-sets win over Meredith Orton and Zentrina Choice of LaGrange. Isringhausen and Powell cruised to a 21-14 win before earning a quite comfortable decision in the second game, 21-7.
Competing at the No. 2 slot, Skylar Boom and MK Roberts were flat dominant in earning a straight-sets win over Madelyn Orton and Alexis Childers. The Golden Eagle duo rolled to a 21-5 win in the first before showing off even more in the second with a 21-3 victory.
It was a much tougher fight in the second match of the day, as Berry College jumped out front 2-0 with wins in the bottom two sections. Starting at the No. 3 position, the Golden Eagles kicked off their climb back.
Aleeya Jones and Brooke Amann kept the purple and gold alive while defeating Grace Mau and Kat Felyman in straight sets. The Tech tango earned a 21-18 edge in the opening set before finishing things off in the second with a 21-10 showing.
Moving up to the No. 1 duos, Isringhausen and Powell delivered another blow to the Berry College effort, keeping hope alive with a huge victory in straight sets. Topping Bella Boston and Becky Blaydes, the pair of Golden Eagles took a 21-13 decision in the first set before just squeaking past in set two with a 22-20 final score.
"Maddie/Bella and Aleeya/Brooke going 2-0 today in the 1's and 3's, respectively, is great for their confidence going forward," Weinberg explained. "Both pairs were tested and responded with victories, something we weren't great at last year."
Boom and Roberts dug deep at the No. 2 position, rallying back from a 21-16 defeat in the opening set to Kaylee Howell and Kara Schmit with a 21-16 victory of their own to force a decisive third frame. The Tech two-step took the title of the set, the game, and the entire match with a 15-11 triumph.
"Skylar and MK battling back to force a third set with the dual tied 2-2 and with both teams cheering on from the sideline," Weinberg expressed, "that is exactly what college beach is about. They executed a game plan and won the match and the dual in a huge moment in our program's history."
Tech will conclude action at the Berry Kick-Off Saturday morning, starting with a 7:00 a.m. CT affair with Erskine. The finale for the Golden Eagles will feature an 11:00 a.m. meeting with Carson-Newman.
"We have a tough day tomorrow with two duals against two great teams," Weinberg added, "but I'm thrilled with how today went and excited to look forward to how we carry it into the morning."
File photo by Jim Dillon
