By Jocelyn VerVelde, TTU Sports Information Coordinator
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee Tech volleyball team opens Ohio Valley Conference play at home this weekend as it looks to take on Eastern Illinois and SIU Edwardsville. The Golden Eagles will open up play with the EIU Panther at 7 p.m. CT on Friday, and will play SIUE at 4 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.
Admission is free for all regular season home matches.
The Golden Eagles enter the regular season with a 5-11 record following four tournaments, and one non-conference midweek match-up.
"The preseason tournaments made us a mentally tougher," head coach Dave Zelenock said. " We had a lot of challenges during those four weeks, some of the challenges were just how far we traveled, some were playing bigger teams, top 30 teams, faster teams, etcetera. We didn't necessarily get the results we wanted, but we did get a good chance to play against all the varying styles that the OVC has to offer. We are still a very young group on the floor and our focus is getting better each day and we are learning from our mistakes. We are still pretty error-prone, but as this group keeps growing we will get to where we need."
OVC Digital Network
Both matches this weekend will be aired on the OVC Digital Network. The OVC Digital Network is the official network of the Ohio Valley Conference. Broadcasts are free to watch, and can be viewed on personal computers, tablets, and mobile devices. Fans can find the games by visiting OVCDigitalNetwork.com and looking for Tennessee Tech on the Live Events page. All broadcasts are produced by the Tennessee Tech Sports Information Department. Some Tech road games may also be aired, as a handful of other OVC schools are also streaming fall sports. During this weekend's broadcasts, Mandy Thatcher will provide play-by-play commentary.
What's In Store This Weekend
Versus Eastern Illinois (6-7)
The Eastern Illinois Panthers come into Cookeville with a 6-7 record heading into the opening weekend of OVC play. The Panther have faced some worthy opponents, including #3 Penn State, losing 3-0. Abby Saalfrank leads the Panthers with 3.49 kills per set, adding 2.75 digs and .43 blocks. Saalfrank's 3.49 kills are good enough for second in the OVC leading into this weekend. Another statistical leader for the Panthers is Chelsea Lee. Lee is putting away 3.08 kills per set on a clip of .228. Lee is also ranked in kills, coming in at 7th. As a team, EIU leads the conference in assists with 12.39 per set. Junior setter Marah Bradbury, who is first in the individual assist category with 10.35, mostly dishes out those assists for the Panthers. Bradbury and Lee were both named to the 2014 Preseason All-OVC Team, while Eastern Illinois was picked to finish second in the conference.
Versus SIU Edwardsville (8-7)
SIUE enters the first weekend of OVC match-ups following a win that left it with an 8-7 record. Kristen Torre is the leading attacker for the Cougars, putting way 3.0 kills per set on a clip of .371. Torre's hitting percentage is good enough for second in the OVC rankings, while her kills per set bring her in 8th. Mallory Mangun is running the offense for SIUE, delivering 8.73 assists per set. The Cougars are holding opponents to just one ace per set, while the Cougars themselves are delivering almost double at 1.91. They are controlling the ball from the pass, as they have a reception percentage of .951; on just one serve receive error per set. Mangun and libero Chelsea Colclasure were both named to the 2014 Preseason All-OVC Team, while SIUE was picked to finish sixth in the conference.
Things You Should Know
Last Time Out
The Golden Eagles were topped, 3-0; 18-25, 7-25, 13-25, by the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers on Tuesday night. WKU, 12-4, has been receiving votes in the national poll. Jordan Wachowiak put down a team-high eight kills and five blocks while Courtney Smith collected a match-high 14 digs.
Fresh Faces
Tech brought in five freshmen this season, Sam Cash, Allison Morrett, Jordan Wachowiak, Kellie Williams and K'Vonna Johnson. Four of the five have seen the court already this season, and have made an immediate impact. Williams has already had six matches where she reached double-digit kills, including a season-high 21 kills against Gardner-Webb. Wachowiak put away a season-high nine kills against Norfolk State and has recorded four-plus blocks in seven of the fifteen matches she has played in. Johnson, who is currently training as an outside, put down 14 kills against Norfolk State, and in game against N.C. A&T, she tallied 11 kills and five blocks. Morrett recorded a season-high eight digs against UNC Wilmington.
All-Tourney Honors
During the preseason tournament's three different Golden Eagles earned All-Tournament honors. Following the opening tournament at Appalachian State, Kellie Williams earned an all-tournament nod for her impressive play. Junior Cody Dodd, who recorded a career-best 18 kills against Norfolk State, matched that number with 18 kills against the UNC Wilmington Seahawks. She also added a career-best 20 digs, for her second double-double in as many days, adding three aces and two blocks. Dodd's performance over the weekend earned her a spot on the East Carolina Invitational All-Tournament team. The final Golden Eagle to earn an all-tournament spot was senior libero Courtney Smith who averaged an insane 6.0 digs per set following the Spartanburg Courtyard Classic hosted by Wofford.
Where We Rank
OVC Rankings
Team:
Hitting Percentage: 11th - .152
Assists: 10th – 10.25
Kills: 12th – 10.62
Blocks: 1st – 2.14
Service Aces: 5th – 1.44
Digs: 7th – 14.60
OVC Individuals:
Kills: 6th - Cody Dodd, 3.16
Assists: 6th – Sharon Anderson, 9.09
Service Aces: 3rd – Cody Dodd, 0.36, 10th – Sharon Anderson, 0.31
Blocks: 1st – Jordan Wachowiak, 1.24
Digs: 2nd – Courtney Smith, 4.65
Points: 3rd – Cody Dodd, 3.95
National Rankings
Team
Total Aces: 37th
Total Digs: 63rd
Total Blocks: 76th
Aces per set: 73rd
Individual
Digs Per Set: 51st - Courtney Smith
Blocks Per Set: 71st – Jordan Wachowiak
Kills Per Set: 98th – Cody Dodd
Total Digs: 28th - Courtney Smith
Total Service Aces: 49th – Cody Dodd
Total Assists: 64th – Sharon Anderson
Total Kills: 90th – Cody Dodd
