By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – It was a day full of ups and downs for the Tennessee Tech volleyball team Friday, as the Cookeville crew split its two matches against ETSU and Kennesaw State as part of day one of the Golden Eagle Invitational presented by Holiday Inn of Cookeville.
The purple and gold kicked off the day with a stellar display against in-state rival ETSU, blanking the Buccaneers with a 3-0 sweep behind strong offense and solid defense. Tech hit .250 as a unit to pile up 44 kills in just three sets, all while limiting the visiting Bucs to just 25 kills and an .052 attack of its own.
Squaring off with ETSU like bare-knuckled boxers in the first half of set one, the Golden Eagles used a 6-0 run to pull away heading into the media timeout. The purple and gold closed things down the stretch with a 10-6 advantage, cruising to a 25-15 statement of a win.
Fourteen kills, four service aces, and 13 digs proved plenty to fuel the opening-set victory, but the Bucs came looking for a fight and showed it in the second. The visitors from Johnson City, Tenn. pushed ahead early, leading by as many as four points before the purple and gold pushed its way back into the thick of things.
Trailing 15-11, Tech flipped the script with a 7-0 run to take its own advantage and never relinquish the lead again. The Bucs proved pesky down the stretch, forcing the Golden Eagles past the 25-point mark to secure the win, one ending in a 26-24 score.
It was a match-high 17 kills and 19 digs that paved the way for Tech head coach Jeannette Phillips' squad in the second set. ETSU looked well on its way to securing a win in set three and staving off elimination, erupting out of the gates for an 8-1 lead.
Resiliency proved important for the Golden Eagles, as the home group banded together and turned in an 11-2 run to take a 12-11 lead. Tech went on to close the contest on a 13-5 run, easing into a 25-16 victory to complete the sweep over the Bucs.
Junior outside hitter Bella Powell picked up her first double-double as a Golden Eagle, leading the match with 13 kills and 13 digs. For good measure, the Tech newcomer added four aces and two blocks while hitting .206.
Jumping in on the fun for the purple and gold was fellow outside Madolyn Isringhausen, accounting for 10 kills and seven digs on a .269 attack efficiency. Rookie right side Ava Schubert also contributed double-digit terminations, securing 10 on a .316 attack.
Quarterbacking the offense to a great performance was setter Jordan Karlen, distributing a whopping 38 assists with four kills, three aces, and seven digs. Middle blocker Elena Wallace turned in a team-high four blocks with three kills while fellow middle Ayanna Rodgers tacked on three blocks and four kills.
In the second match of the day, it was Kennesaw State posting the comeback bid, claiming a 3-1 win behind and particularly impressive final two sets. Tech nearly matched the Owls' kills output, falling just one short, but the efficiency and block numbers proved to be the difference makers.
The Golden Eagles looked well on their way to a set one victory, leading 22-15 before a controversial call saw what was sure to be Tech's 23rd point called back and replayed. Kennesaw State took advantage of the second chance, bouncing back with a 10-1 run to close the set and take the opener 25-23.
Set two seemed to follow a similar trajectory, with the purple and gold dominating early to the tune of a 21-13 lead. Again, the Owls delivered a comeback bid, closing to within a point at 23-21, but this time the Golden Eagles fended off the late attack and secured a 25-22 victory to even the match at 1-1.
Kennesaw State used superior attacking percentages to lock down wins in the final two sets, starting with a 25-19 decision in the third. Hitting .300, the Owls held Tech to a .156 attack to take the 2-1 lead.
It was much of the same in the fourth and final game, as the visitors improved to a .317 hitting percentage. Tech was limited to just .071 efficiency in the frame, while the Owls racked up four blocks.
For the match, it was the Golden Eagle outsides providing the damage. Powell secured another 14 kills with two blocks while Isringhausen accounted for a team-high 15 terminations and career-high 17 digs for her second double-double of the season.
Schubert turned in four aces, four blocks, and four kills while middle blocker Skylar Boom tallied seven kills and four blocks. Rodgers also added four blocks and five kills to the mix. Libero McKenna Young led the way with 20 digs and Karlen ended her night with 42 more assists to her name, just missing a double-double with nine digs. Aleeya Jones rounded out Tech's double-digit dig mix with 11.
Tech will wrap up play at the Golden Eagle Invitational presented by Holiday Inn of Cookeville Saturday afternoon, closing out the action with a 2:00 p.m. CT match-up against Cincinnati in the Hooper Eblen Center.
Photo by Jim Dillon
