By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
MOUNT BERRY, Ga. – The Tennessee Tech beach volleyball team wrapped up a strong showing at the Berry Kick-Off Saturday afternoon, capping a 3-1 weekend with a 1-1 day at the Berry Beach Courts.
The Golden Eagles (3-1) kicked off the day with another impressive 3-2 victory, edging Erskine (0-3) in the early morning air. In-state foe Carson-Newman (6-1) topped the purple and gold in the tournament finale with a 5-0 decision.
"Today was exactly the kind of challenge you hope you get in the early part of the season," Tech head coach Zach Weinberg expressed. "Playing in sustained heavy winds frustrated us to our core, but it was exactly the lesson we needed to learn. It made for a tough day, but a day that will benefit us as the season progresses."
It was a true, back-and-forth battle in the day's first action, as Tech and Erskine traded points back and forth throughout the bout. Junior Jazmine Yamilkoski and graduate Olivia Taylor combined at the No. 5 position to earn a win in straight sets.
The Tech duo bested Micah Diffley and Caroline Kelly in the opening set, 21-11, to set the tone for the day. They earned the first point for Tech with a 21-16 win in the second set.
"It was great to see Liv and Jaz set the stage with a win in the 5's in the morning match," Weinberg said. "It was the most complete match they played all weekend and the win in that flight was deserved."
Erskine answered back with a victory at the No. 4 pairing, but Tech took the jab and responded with a right cross. Rocking the No. 3 spot for the Golden Eagles, juniors Brooke Amann and Aleeya Jones paired up to take down Katarina Diaz and Sarilyne Wally.
In the tightest match-up of the tilt, the Cookeville combo earned back-to-back wins of 21-19 to give Tech a 2-1 lead. Once again, Erskine made a response, tying the contest at 2-2 with a win in No. 2 combos.
Down to the top duo for each team, it was Tech's two-step of senior Bella Powell and junior Madolyn Isringhausen coming out on top. The No. 1 pairing for the purple and gold opened the action in the final slot with a 21-13 win before delivering another 21-13 triumph to clinch the match victory.
"Maddie and Bella staying in control in the 1's to clinch the dual was a good moment for them as well," Weinberg added. "We left some opportunities in the sand on some other courts and we will learn from those, but I was happy with the way we competed in the morning."
In-state rival Carson-Newman provided the Golden Eagles with their first loss of the season, claiming a 5-0 decision in the tough conditions.
"Carson-Newman is an excellent ball control team, and coupled with the wind, they stayed in the driver's seat on all five courts," Weinberg explained. "We had our moments, but couldn't seize enough of them consistently."
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.
"Our next tournament will be the toughest in program history, so we have a little under two weeks to get back in the lab to prepare for it," Weinberg said. "This was a great first weekend of competition, and I'm looking forward to seeing the implementation of some of the lessons we learned as we go forward this spring."
File photo by Emily Armstrong
