By: Holly Weber, TTU Sports Information Coordinator

COOKEVILLE, Tenn.—It was an exciting weekend opener match for the Tennessee Tech volleyball team (5-15, 3-4 OVC) as they downed conference opponent Morehead State (6-15, 3-4 OVC), 3-1, at the Eblen Center. The Golden Eagles took winning set scores of 25-18, 18-25, 25-21, and 25-17.

"It feels great," Golden Eagle Alyssa Povey commented. "It was nice to come in and get that win in front of all our fans."

A service ace from Allison Morrett gave Tech the go-ahead 9-5 lead in the first set. Tech expanded to a 10-point lead at 19-10 over Morehead State. The Golden Eagles remained dominant throughout the first set and continued to push their lead to 22-12 off of a kill by Cody Dodd. From there, Tech cruised to a first set victor 25-18, out hitting Morehead State .209 to .026.

"We had four kids in double digit kills tonight," head coach Dave Zelenock said. "It makes Cody's and Kellie's job a little easier when everyone is contributing and on their game."

The Golden Eagles hit a slump in the second set, with the Eagles opening set play with a 9-6 lead. Morehead State then went on a 8-3 run to pull further ahead of Tech at 17-9. Kills from K'Vonna Johnson and Alyssa Povey helped to bring the Golden Eagles within five at 20-15, however, the Eagles held on to pull out the second set 25-18, while outhitting Tech .375 to .093.

Things got interesting in the third. The Golden Eagles and Eagles opened with a tie of 9-9. Tech went on a 10-4 run to pull ahead 19-13. Morehead State persisted and pulled within five at 22-17. The Golden Eagles held on and a red card issued to the Eagles' head coach gave Tech the go-ahead 24-17 lead. Despite the Golden Eagle lead, the Eagles would not back down and brought the score to 24-21, before Tech sealed a third set win 25-21.

"We had better blocking in the third and fourth set," Zelenock remarked. "Our blocks were a lot cleaner and our serving was phenomenal as well."

The Golden Eagles came out with high energy in the fourth, taking the early 12-6 lead with a kill from Povey. An Eagle kill brought Morehead within five of Tech at 15-10, however, the Golden Eagles quickly created an eight-point lead at 19-11 with kills from Dodd and Johnson. Tech continued to play a smart, strong game and furthered their lead to 23-14 with a kill by Williams before closing out the set and a match 25-17 with another kill by Williams, out hitting the Eagles .355 to .156.

Williams led the Golden Eagles with 15 kills and a .282 hitting percentage, while teammate Dodd put up 13 kills and 10 digs (her 10th double-double on the season). Povey grabbed 11 kills and five blocks in the match, while teammate Wade tallied 17 digs. The Eagles were led by Hannah Sigala who collected 13 kills and a .650 hitting percentage in the match.

"Easatern Kentucky is going to be a tough match," Zelenock continued. "They play a lot of high balls that could mess with our blocking rhythm. They play a very mental game, and being a physical team, we will have to adjust."

Tech returns to action Saturday when they host conference opponent Eastern Kentucky in a 2 p.m. contest at the Eblen Center.