By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
BOONE, N.C. – Despite valiant comeback bids in each of the final two sets, the Tennessee Tech volleyball dream fell in its final match of the Mountaineer Classic on Saturday afternoon, dropping a 3-0 decision against tournament host App State at the Holmes Convocation Center.
The Golden Eagles fought tooth-and-nail early in the opening set, squaring things at 10-10. The Mountaineers slowly inched ahead, eventually pulling away completely for a 25-18 win to take the early 1-0 lead.
In set two, the purple and gold struggled to string together runs early on, falling behind 20-10 more than halfway through the game. Tech dug deep and fired off a 5-1 run to force a home time out before App State pulled to within set point at 24-18.
One more push saw the Cookeville crew deliver a 4-0 run, closing to a two-point deficit before the Mountaineers secured the set win for a 2-0 lead in the match. Tech turned in 13 kills and three blocks, but the ASU attack was slightly better, boasting 14 germinations, five less attack errors, and five rejections for the win.
Trying to stave off elimination for the day, the Golden Eagles opened the third set on a roll, owning the lead as late as 14-13. After the Mountaineers reached match point with a 24-19 lead, Tech had one more rally left in the tank, running off three straight points to pull within two.
For the second straight set, App State found the deciding point just when needed, holding off the purple and gold for a 25-22 win. The Tech offense was a strength in the third set, delivering 17 kills on .324 efficiency, but the Mountaineers simply played cleaner with only two attack errors and 13 kills.
For the match, it was graduate middle blocker Skylar Boom paving the way for the Tech attack, securing 10 kills while hitting .381. She tied with Madolyn Isringhausen for the team lead of three blocks and was named to the All-Tournament Team following the match. Isringhausen dropped nine kills for the effort.
Sophomore setter Jordan Karlen averaged 11.00 assists per set, totaling 33 with six kills and nine digs to flirt with a triple-double. Freshman right side Ava Schubert kept the strong start to her collegiate career moving along, registering eight kills, two more aces, and five digs. Making her collegiate debut in the third set of the match was rookie libero Jillian Shaneyfelt, tallying her first career dig.
Up Next
The purple and gold will return to Cookeville for their annual home tournament, the Golden Eagle Invitational presented by Holiday Inn of Cookeville, from Sept. 1-2 in the Hooper Eblen Center. Tech plays host to in-state rival ETSU on Friday, at 10:30 a.m. CT and then Kennesaw State at 7:30 p.m. that evening. The tournament wraps up with a 2:00 p.m. tilt between the Golden Eagles and Cincinnati.
Photo by Michael Mann Jr.
