Volleyball seeks first victory at the four-team tournament
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee Tech volleyball team will travel to Boone, N.C., on Friday in search of its first victory of the season. The Golden Eagles will take part in the Appalachian State Invitational where they will meet North Florida and William & Mary in addition to the host Mountaineers.
After beginning the season with a 0-3 mark at the Lady Vol Classic last weekend, head coach John Blair and the Golden Eagles will look to turn things around at Appalachian State. That task will be a trying one as each of TTU's opponents this weekend has already tasted victory at least once this season thus far.
"We're the only team coming in without a victory, so we will have to figure out how to win," Blair said. "I think it's going to be a tremendous challenge for us. All three teams are extremely well coached."
Along with an emphasis on more aggressive serving, Blair pointed to defensive consistency and toughness as keys that the team has worked on since returning from last weekend's tournament in Knoxville.
"We've got to be able to side out on a more regular basis and become more consistent," Blair said. "When we have a lead, we need to find a way to maintain or increase that lead and not let teams make a run back on us."
The Golden Eagles defense will look to senior Katie Kenline - who earned Lady Vol Classic All-Tournament Team honors last weekend after posting 35 digs in three matches - for leadership from the back row as they look to notch their first win of 2009.
In their first action of the season, senior Amanda Lindgren and junior Leah Meffert posted solid numbers last weekend as well. Lindgren tallied 31 kills and 19 digs for the Golden Eagles, while Meffert added 32 kills and 20 digs. The pair of outside hitters will likely be a large part of Tech's offense again this Labor Day weekend.
Tech begins action at 4 p.m. on Friday when they will take on North Florida for the first time in the program's history. The Golden Eagles will then have a pair of matches on Saturday, taking on William & Mary at 9 a.m. and Appalachian State at 6 p.m.
"I think that if we play to our potential, we'll be in every match with a chance to win," Blair said. "We will have to play well to win. Any victory that we get there will be a well-earned victory."
Live stats will be available through Appalachian State's athletic Web site at www.goasu.com.
