By: Holly Weber, TTU Sports Information Coordinator
COOKEVILLE, Tenn.—Coming off an exciting five-set victory over Belmont on Saturday, the Tennessee Tech volleyball team (7-20, 5-9 OVC) quickly turns around to travel to Jacksonville State (JSU) (14-19, 4-10 OVC) to play on Tuesday at the Pete Mathews Coliseum in a 7 p.m. contest.
The Gamecocks currently hold a 4-10 conference record, placing them tied for 10th in the OVC. JSU recently saw a win over Tennessee State (3-2) while falling to Belmont 3-0. At home, the Gamecocks maintain a 4-4 record, whereas the Golden Eagles have a 1-8 road record.
In Tech's previous matchup with JSU, the Gamecocks saw victory in a four-set match (3-1), taking winning set scores of 25-17, 25-21, 12-25, and 25-22. Senior, Emily Rutherford took the reins for the Gamecocks in the match posting 18 kills and 15 digs. On the season, Rutherford has put up 283 kills, 270 digs, 21 blocks, and maintained a .220 hitting percentage.
Senior, Cody Dodd and sophomore, Kellie Williams each tallied 14 kills in the last meeting with JSU to lead the Golden Eagles. Dodd then added 18 digs to the match, while Williams posted three blocks. Dodd continues to serve as the leader on the Tech team totaling 426 kills (4.22 per set), 291 digs, 58 blocks, 46 service aces, while maintaining a .217 hitting percentage. Williams posts the second best record in kills (behind Dodd) gathering 258 on the season, while averaging a .170 hitting percentage.
With the regular season coming to an end, that means post-season tournament play is on the rise and the stakes to get in are at an all time high. The Golden Eagles are currently tied at eighth in the OVC with Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville (SIUE). Only eight of the 12 teams make it into the tournament, so this week's matches for Tech will serve as a crucial factor as to whether the Golden Eagle team will see post-season play or their seasons will come to an end on Friday when they play their last regular season match against UT Martin. Besides Tech and SIUE; JSU, UT Martin and Austin Peay matches this weekend will also play a hand in who makes it to the OVC tournament.
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