By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Efficiency was the key for the Tennessee Tech volleyball team Friday evening, as the Golden Eagles (8-12, 5-3) made quick work of the visitors from SIUE in a dominant, 3-0 sweep in the Hooper Eblen Center.
The purple and gold hit a robust .318 as a unit in the victory, making good use of its chances to accumulate 41 kills on just 88 attempts. The defense was particularly sharp on the night, piling up 39 digs and 11 blocks along the way to holding the Cougars (10-9, 5-3) to just a .147 attack percentage.
The opening set was a close battle early on, with neither team separating itself by more than two points until the Golden Eagles pulled ahead 18-15. SIUE quickly responded with three straight to square the match back once more. After trading points, Tech broke away.
It was four consecutive markers for the Golden Eagles before the Cougars had another response, allowing Tech to pull away with a 6-3 run. Tech took the set 25-22, rounding up 17 kills on a ridiculous .500 hitting percentage.
In the set, Taylor Dorsey, Madolyn Isringhausen, and Skylar Boom all went nuts on the attack. Dorsey hit .714 with a whopping six terminations while Boom chipped in three on a .750 efficiency. Isringhausen clocked in with five kills and a mind-boggling .833 clip.
Tech worked hard for its dinner in the second set, with the Cougars pulling out ahead by four early thanks to a 6-0 run. A savvy timeout by head coach Jeannette Phillips allowed the Golden Eagles to collect themselves and answer with a 4-0 run to tie things up at 10-10.
From there, neither side went ahead by more than two until the very end. Deadlocked at 21-21, Dorsey and Isringhausen combined for a monster rejection, setting up setter Jordan Karlen for a service ace and 23-21 lead.
Following an SIUE timeout, Tech kept the momentum on its side thanks to a blast by Dorsey for her third kill of the set. She kept her hot play going for at least one more play, teaming up with Isringhausen again for an exclamation point block to win the set 25-21.
The purple and gold controlled set three from the outset, allowing just a single tie at 1-1. From there, the Golden Eagles inched away little by little, expanding their advantage to as much as eight. Four more blocks as a team and 11 kills led to a quick 25-17 victory and 3-0 sweep.
Backed by tremendous performances, both Dorsey and Boom inked their names further into the Tech record books. Leading the match with 13 kills and six total blocks, Dorsey produced the fourth-highest hitting percentage for a three-set match in the rally-scoring era, smashing .579.
It only ranked fourth in school history thanks to Boom and her 10 terminations without an offensive error. She recorded the third-highest attack clip under the same criteria, producing at a .588 clip with five total blocks.
Isringhausen wrapped up her special performance with 10 kills, five digs, and a pair of rejections. The sophomore crushed it to the tune of a .381 attack.
Karlen did a little bit of everything for her team in the contest, posting her fifth double-double of the season with 36 assists and 11 digs. She also added a kill, an ace, and two blocks, averaging 12.00 helpers per set.
Libero McKenna Young led the match with 12 digs, putting her just 35 away from recording 1,000 in her Golden Eagle career. Right side Morgan Gish assisted the effort with four blocks and five kills while Brooke Amann tacked on six digs.
Tech and the Cougars will square off again with a noon match-up Saturday prior to the Golden Eagle football game against Tennessee State at 6:00 p.m. at Tucker Stadium.
Photo by Jim Dillon
