By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – A match-high 14.0 blocks weren't enough for the Tennessee Tech volleyball team Friday evening, as the purple and gold fell to SIUE at First Community Arena, 3-1.
The Golden Eagles opened the match on fire, pulling away from a 5-5 tie and never looking back. Tech hit a red-hot .375 with 15 kills in a 25-17 victory, adding 3.0 blocks to the mix.
The Cougars bounced back in the second set, squaring the contest at 1-1 with a 25-16 win. It came down to efficiency, as SIUE hit .308 with 11 kills while Tech managed just an .030 attack with 10 kills and nine errors.
Set three proved to be a battle, with the Golden Eagles bouncing back from a 13-9 deficit to move out front 20-17. SIUE answered right back, using a run to swap leads again and take the set, 25-23.
Neither side was particularly efficient on the attack, with the Cougars accounting for nine terminations and seven errors and Tech producing 11 kills and 11 mistakes. In set four, the home squad snapped an 11-11 tie and never allowed the Golden Eagles to square it again.
SIUE took the decisive game, 25-21, with an improved 14 kills and nine errors. The Golden Eagles fought to force most of the errors, piling up a whopping seven blocks in the set alone.
Playing in her hometown, outside hitter Madolyn Isrinhausen led the match with 16 kills while hitting .263. She captured her eighth double-double of the year with 11 digs and tacked on three block assists.
Middle blocker Skylar Boom was close to her own double-double, smashing nine kills and eight total blocks. The Louisville native moved into eighth place on Tech's all-time career charts for total blocks with 329 and jumped up to 10th on the program's all-time career list for solo rejections with 71.
Establishing a new career high with six total blocks was middle blocker Emma Pabon, who added four kills to the effort as well. Libero McKenna Young led Tech with 14 digs and also delivered four assists. Setter Jordan Karlen totaled 33 assists, seven digs, two blocks, and three kills to the night.
Defensive specialist Aleeya Jones tallied 10 digs with a pair of assists while outside hitter Bella Powell produced six kills. Senior outside Katie DiRaimondo put together four kills and three blocks in two sets of action.
Tech will square off with the Cougars again Saturday afternoon with a 2:00 p.m. CT match in First Community Arena.
File photo by Jim Dillon
