By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
MURRAY, Ky. – Perseverance and tenacity in the second set proved key for the Tennessee Tech volleyball team Sunday evening, as the Golden Eagles (6-7, 6-7) regrouped for a 3-1 (18-25, 29-27, 25-21, 25-23) victory at Murray State (5-8, 5-8) in Racer Arena.
The Racers opened the match at full throttle, hitting a game-high .243 in the first set. The home team claimed the opener 25-18, and looked well on its way to a set two victory, but Tech had other plans.
Trailing by as much as five at 22-17, Golden Eagle head coach Jeannette Waldo called for a timeout, allowing her squad to collect itself and dial in for a final push. The result? Five-straight points from the purple and gold tied the match at 22-22.
Both sides traded blows fighting to take the all-important second set, but a Skylar Boom kill gave Tech the last lead they would need at 28-27. On the next point, Murray State missed the mark on an attack from Taylor Beasley and the Golden Eagles pulled off the 29-27 win.
Murray State jumped back out in front to kick off the third set, taking as much as a four-point advantage at 14-10. Tech channeled the momentum from its previous win and turned things around over time, squaring things at 17-17 before taking the lead for good.
Three more points from the Tech squad proved enough for the visitors to last through the end, taking a 25-21 win to clinch a 2-1 lead in the match.
It was an intense battle in the fourth and ultimately decisive set with neither side taking more than a two-point advantage until the Racers at the 20-17 mark. One more time, the Golden Eagles relied on its grit to flip the script and turn in an 8-3 run to end the match and register a 25-23 win in the set.
Junior middle blocker Taylor Dorsey continued her strong season with a team-high 15 kills and .364 hitting percentage. She also totaled six blocks on her way to a match-high 19.0 points.
Fellow middle blocker Skylar Boom was a beast on both sides as well, collecting six total blocks and blasting 13 kills on a .280 hitting percentage for 17.0 points. Redshirt sophomore Madeline Furtado rounded out Tech's three-headed monster on offense for the night, hitting .242 with 14 kills. She added 10 digs as well for her second double-double of the year.
Rookie libero McKenna Young tallied a team-high 19 digs in the contest while senior Ali Verzani produced a season-high 16 digs with five kills and four block assists. Turning in her fifth double-double of the year was setter Ashley Hand, who led the Golden Eagles with 41 assists. She also registered a season-high 16 digs on the night.
As a team, the Golden Eagles totaled 14 blocks, the fourth time during the 2020-21 campaign the team posted double figures in the column. Tech's 55 kills marked the second-highest total of the year while the 70 digs was also the second-largest total this season for the Golden Eagles.
Match two between the two OVC foes is slated for a 4:00 p.m. CT start Monday afternoon at Racer Arena. It is scheduled to appear on ESPN+.
File photo by Jim Dillon
