By Holly Weber, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn.—The Tennessee Tech volleyball team (4-3) travels down the highway to Murfreesboro, Tenn., for its third tournament of the season on Friday-Saturday. There the Golden Eagles will take on teams of Seton Hall (2-4), Illinois State (3-4), and host Middle Tennessee (1-5) at the Blue Raider Bash.
This past weekend, the Golden Eagles saw victory versus Northwestern State, 3-0, at the UAB-Samford Challenge; going 1-3 over the weekend.
Over Tech's four matches, senior Alyssa Povey was a threat both offensively and defensively for Tech. The Clifton, Idaho, native tallied 14 blocks (most on the team) and 25 kills (third most on the team) on the weekend. Thus far this season, Povey has notched 24 blocks and 45 kills.
Senior setter Sharon Anderson continues to be a key player on the Purple and Gold squad. On the 2016 season, Anderson has posted 273 assists (10.92 per set), 76 digs (3.04 per set), and 7 blocks. Her 10.92 assists per set ranks her first amongst OVC players and 30th in the NCAA, while her 273 total assists marks her 18th in the NCAA.
Kennedy Wade is also making her presence known on the Tech team. The Knoxville, Tenn., libero has accumulated 130 digs on the season, and her 5.20 digs per set currently ranks her first in the OVC. Recently, in the Golden Eagle's match versus Northwestern State, Wade posted 26 digs in the 3-set match, notching her 5th in the NCAA.
Also finding themselves ranked high in the OVC is junior Allison Morrett and sophomore Shaneice James. Morrett's 0.48 service aces (12 on the season) ranks her second, while James' .303 hitting percentage marks her third in the OVC.
As a team, the Golden Eagles are currently hitting .173. The Purple and Gold squad has notched 326 kills, 309 assists, 461 digs, and 43.5 blocks on the year. Tech's 12.36 assists and 13.04 kills per set marks them first amongst OVC opponents, while its 18.44 digs per set rank them second.
Looking closer at the Golden Eagle's opponents this weekend, Tech will face only one opponent they have seen before: Middle Tennessee. The Purple and Gold team currently leads the Blue Raiders 43-19 in the series. The last time the two teams faced was in the 2005 season when MTSU defeated Tech 3-0. Seton Hall and Illinois State will be new opponents for the Tech squad. Seton Hall, a Big East Conference affiliate, has a 2-4 record on the season under the helm of Allison Yaeger. Illinois State, a Missouri Valley Conference member has a 3-4 record on the season under the direction of head coach Melissa Myers.
The Golden Eagle's will kick off the Blue Raider Bash on Friday versus Seton Hall at 4:30 p.m. Tech will then close out tournament play on Saturday with a match against Illinois State at 2:30 p.m. and Middle Tennessee at 5 p.m.
You can follow the Golden Eagles online on Facebook on the Tennessee Tech Women's Volleyball and TTU Sports pages, or on Twitter @TNTechVball and @TTUGoldenEagles.
Photo by Jim Dillon
