By: Holly Weber, TTU Sports Information Coordinator
MEMPHIS,Tenn.—A tough battle against great teams is what the Tennessee Tech volleyball team (1-9, 0-0 OVC) faced this weekend. The Golden Eagles are comprised of a young team and have done a lot of growing. They faced a tough opponent in Memphis (6-3), falling 3-0 to the Tigers with set scores of 25-20, 25-21, and 25-21. Tech then went on to face Auburn (7-2) where they were defeated 3-0, with the Tigers taking winning set scores of 25-17, 28-26, and 25-22.
"We rose up to the occasion," Golden Eagle Sharon Anderson said. "We came in mentally prepared and played well against some really good teams."
Against Memphis, Tech took an early 7-4 lead in the first set, however, the Tigers recovered and tied the match at 10-10. The Golden Eagles and Tigers battled maintaining ties of 12-12 and 16-16. From there, the two teams held within one point of each other until 20-20. Then, Memphis took advantage of Tech errors and closed out the first set 25-20.
"We played great the first set against Memphis," head coach Dave Zelenock remarked. "Even though it was our lowest scoring one, we played hard."
It was a close start in the second. The Golden Eagles and Tigers started off with a tie of 7-7. Memphis then went on an 8-2 run to pull ahead 15-9, and continued to create a six-point lead, 22-16. A kill by Cody Dodd brought Tech within five, 24-19, however, they could not recover in time and Memphis took the second set 25-21.
In the third, the Tigers opened with a 6-3 lead. The Golden Eagles fought back and tied the match at 6-6. From there, Memphis went on an 11-6 run and pulled ahead 17-12. Kills by Kellie Williams and Shaneice James brought Tech within three, 17-14. Tiger errors allowed the Golden Eagles to pull within two, 22-20, however Memphis held on and took the third set and the match 25-21.
"Nothing could stop her [Cody Dodd]," Zelenock continued. "Cody has started to show what we all knew she had. She's been playing back into shape and has turned into a complete player. I'm excited to see how much better she can get."
Tech was led by Dodd, who was named to the Memphis All-Tournament team, had 18 kills, 10 digs and a .268 attacking percentage. Sharon Anderson totaled 24 assists and 11 digs, while teammate Kennedy Wade contributed 14 digs. Memphis was led by Summer Morgan who had 10 kills in the match.
Against Auburn, the Tigers opened with a dominating 12-6 lead, and continued to capitalize, pulling ahead by eight, 19-11. Auburn continued to play aggressive and sailed to a first set victory 25-17.
"Auburn is the best serving team that I've seen in the ten years I've been coaching," Zelenock continued. "We just started out slow and never really got competitive until the end and by then it was too late."
A score of 8-4 started off the second set in favor of the Tigers. The Golden Eagles pulled within one, 12-11, off of a kill by Dodd and a Tiger attack error, and then continued to tie the game at 13-13. Tech and Auburn held a tight match after that, no team pulling more than two points ahead of the other until Auburn took a three-point lead at 20-17. Tiger errors and a strong defense helped the Golden Eagles tie the score back at 22-22. Kills by Cody Dodd held ties at 23, 24, and 25, however, Auburn kept a slight edge over Tech and took a second set victory 28-26.
A tie of 8-8 kicked off the third set between the Golden Eagles and the Tigers. Auburn went on to take a three-point lead, 14-11, but a kill from Shealene Little brought Tech back within one at 14-13 and allowed them to tie the game at 15-15. The Tigers went on a 5-2 run and pulled ahead 20-17. A service ace by Kirsten Brugere brought the Golden Eagles back within two, 22-20, however Auburn held on and closed out the third set and the match 25-22.
Dodd led the Golden Eagles with 11 kills and a .150 hitting percentage. Anderson acquired 29 kills, while teammate Wade captured 10 digs.
"We ended this weekend on a high note," Anderson said. "We hope to play as well at home and give everyone a good show."
"We have to get healthy," Zelenock continued. "We have been pushing really hard to get ready for conference, so hopefully being at home next weekend will help us get some extra practice in. Every single team we are playing we are capable of beating, but we are going to have to put out a lot of effort to get over them."
The Golden Eagles will return home on Sept. 18-19, for the Golden Eagle Invitational Presented by Hampton Inn, facing opponents of Towson, Western Carolina, and Idaho.
