By Jonathan Caudle, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Tech volleyball launches its Ohio Valley Conference slate on the road Wednesday as they travel to Jacksonville, Alabama to take on Jacksonville State. First serve will be at 6 p.m. with coverage on ESPN+.
The Golden Eagles (4-9) enter Wednesday's contest following a 2-2 week that saw Tech finish in a three-way tie for Golden Eagle Invitational champions as they defeat Western Illinois and Middle Tennessee, but falling in a five-set contest against Southern Illinois, as well as Evansville earlier in the week.
TEAM NOTES
- The Golden Eagles had the best weekend of their 2019 season so far, going 2-1 during the Golden Eagle Invitational and being named co-Golden Eagle Invitational champions.
- Ali Verzani and Taylor Dorsey set new career-highs in kills over the weekend as they tallied 22 kills against Western Illinois and 20 kills in a pair of contests, respectively.
- Verzani also notched her fourth and fifth double-doubles of the season.
- Dorsey also tallied 22 blocks over the four-game stretch, more than doubling her previous total of 20 on the season.
- Sophomore Ashley Hand also had a career-weekend, dishing out a career-high 58 assists against the Evansville Purple Aces.
- Freshman Carly Skrabak led the Golden Eagles in digs over the past week, recording 59 during that stretch.
- Senior Rachel Thomas recorded the second-most kills for Tech this week, collecting 46.
SCOUTING THE GAMECOCKS
Jacksonville State currently sits at 6-6 so far during the 2019 season. The Gamecocks are coming off of the College of Charleston tournament that saw the team go 2-1, which included a four-set loss against Charleston Southern to open the tournament before taking a pair of sweeps over host College of Charleston and New Orleans.
Four Gamecocks have tallied triple-digit kills so far this season, with Lena Kindermann leading the way with 153. Lexie Libs has averaged 10.86 assists per set for JSU so far this season. Defensively, Erin Carmichael has led the team with 156 digs, but Kaylie Milton and Dani Steele have also recorded 104 and 101 digs, respectively. Kaylee Frear leads the Gamecocks in blocks so far this season, tallying a season-high 40.
Jacksonville State leads the series against the Golden Eagles, 24-11. The Gamecocks claimed both of last year's contests, earning a four-set victory before defeating Tech in straight-sets during their second matchup.
UP NEXT
The Golden Eagles will return home Saturday as they host Southeast Missouri for their OVC home opener. First serve against the Redhawks is slated for 2 p.m. in the Hooper Eblen Center.
Live stats, as well as a paid broadcast on ESPN+, will be available for the match. For additional game updates, follow @TnTechVball on Twitter.
Photo by Jim Dillon
