By Jocelyn VerVelde, TTU Sports Information Coordinator

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles return to the court as they head to Jacksonville State for a midweek Ohio Valley Conference match at 7 p.m. CT on Tuesday night.

Over the weekend, Tech (7-11, 2-0) claimed their first 2-0 start since 1999 behind the impressive play from junior opposite Cody Dodd. There are no words for how impressive Dodd was in the opening weekend of OVC play. On Friday night against EIU, She put away 19 kills with a .310 hitting percentage, while scooping up 22 digs, leading Tech to a 3-1 win. She followed up that performance with an outstanding 30 kills on a clip of .338, while also adding 15 digs for her 6th double-double of the season as Tech took down SIU Edwardsville, 3-2. Senior Courtney Smith guided Tech's defense, averaging 6.78 digs per set over the weekend.

The roadtrip to JSU marks the 17th game that Tech will have played on the road already this season. They have a 1-5 record versus the host teams, and are 4-6 against neutral-site opponents.

Jacksonville State will be providing live video coverage on the OVC Digital Network.

What's In Store This Weekend

Versus Jacksonville State (8-8, 2-0)
Jacksonville State is coming off a 2-0 weekend versus the same opponents that Tech faces, Eastern Illinois and SIU Ewardsville. Senior Nicole Merget led JSU offensively with a game high 20 kills on an impressive .318 attack percentage, as the Gamecock's downed SIUE, 3-2 (21-25, 25-21, 25-20, 24-26, 15-13). Freshman Allyson Zuhlke had 14 kills, while junior Emily Rutherford added 10 and also recorded a double-double with a team-high 18 digs. The following night, JSU was in another nail-biter as they topped EIU, 3-2 (25-27, 25-22, 30-28, 23-25, 15-13). The Gamecocks spread the wealth on both sides of the net, with five players in double digits in digs and three in kills. Merget was dominant once again up front, using a .415 attack percentage on 41 attacks to lead all players with 21 kills. The Gamecocks are in their first season under new head coach Terry Gamble, who like TTU head coach Dave Zelenock, is from Port Huron, Mich. In fact, Coach Gamble was Zelenock's club volleyball coach during his playing days.

Things You Should Know

Honor Corps
The Golden Eagle have taken home a weekly award from the Ohio Valley Conference each of the last three weeks. Cody Dodd earned her first adidas® Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Week honor on Sept. 19 following an impressive performance at the Cowgirl Classic at McNeese State. Courtney Smith has earned back-to-back adidas® Ohio Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors (9/21 & 9/29) for averaging over six digs a set for the last two weeks.

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 Overall Rankings
Team:
Hitting Percentage: 10^th - .164
Assists: 11^th – 10.58
Kills: 11^th – 11.02
Blocks: 1^st – 2.05
Service Aces: 6^th – 1.16
Digs: 5^th – 15.31

OVC Overall Individuals:
Kills: 2^nd - Cody Dodd, 3.48
Assists: 6^th – Sharon Anderson, 9.38
Service Aces: 1^st – Cody Dodd, 0.38, 7^th – Sharon Anderson, 0.31
Blocks: 1^st – Jordan Wachowiak, 1.22
Digs: 1^st – Courtney Smith, 4.95
Points: 2^nd – Cody Dodd, 4.27

OVC Only Team:
Hitting Percentage: 5^th - .229
Assists: 6^th – 12.56
Kills: 6^th – 13.44
Blocks: 8^th – 1.56
Service Aces: 8^th – 1.00
Digs: 1^st– 19.67

OVC Only Individuals:
Kills: 1^st  - Cody Dodd, 5.44
Assists: 4^th – Sharon Anderson, 11.11
Service Aces: 1st – Cody Dodd, 0.44
Blocks: 4^th – Jordan Wachowiak, 1.11
Digs: 1^st – Courtney Smith, 6.78
Points: 1^st – Cody Dodd, 6.17

National Rankings
Team
Total Aces: 30^th
Total Digs: 25^th
Total Blocks: 59^th

Individual
Digs Per Set: 29^th - Courtney Smith
Blocks Per Set: 71^st – Jordan Wachowiak
Kills Per Set: 98^th – Cody Dodd
Points Per Set: 74^th – Cody Dodd
Total Digs: 14^th - Courtney Smith
Total Service Aces: 27^th – Cody Dodd, 76^th – Sharon Anderson
Total Assists: 37^th – Sharon Anderson
Total Kills: 37^th – Cody Dodd