By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – It was another tough, five-set finish for the Tennessee Tech volleyball team Friday evening, as the Golden Eagles fell to Ohio Valley Conference foe Eastern Illinois in the Hooper Eblen Center, 3-2.
For the purple and gold, it marked the team's fifth consecutive home match, all in league play, to reach the fifth set. Tech (6-15, 2-8) got off to a fast start in its most recent barn burner, snapping a 7-7 tie in the opening set to push out by as much as seven with a 23-16 advantage.
EIU (18-2, 8-1) fought back, closing the gap to four, but the Golden Eagles finished things off with a 25-20 win for an early 1-0 lead in the match. The Cookeville crew tallied a match-high 17 kills in the game, smashing .343 overall with veterans Madolyn Isringhausen and Skylar Boom combining for 11 together.
The script was flipped in set two, with the Panthers pulling away from a 6-6 draw and squaring the match with a 25-17 victory. Both sides tallied 15 terminations each, but the visitors from Charleston, Ill. showed better efficiency with just a single error and a hitting percentage of .467.
The Golden Eagles went right back to work in set three, exploding out of the gates for a 15-8 lead. Eastern Illinois immediately responded, rattling off a 7-0 run to even the set. Tech dug deep and secured four straight points of its own and used the new lead to pull off a 25-22 win.
Tallying 16 kills with a .353 attack and four service aces, the purple and gold topped the Panthers' efforts of 14 kills and two aces in the set. In set four, EIU took advantage of Tech's sudden offensive struggles, rolling to a 25-14 decision.
The two OVC programs waged war for much of the fifth set, fighting back and forth to a 9-9 stalemate. Eastern Illinois put a cap on the night, registering six straight points to close the match with a 15-9 victory. The Panthers hit an eye-popping .667 in the set, tallying eight kills without an error.
Despite the loss, several Golden Eagles put together special performances on the night. Isringhausen tallied the 1,000th kill of her career in the match, accounting for 18 overall with a .250 attack percentage. She chipped in three service aces and five digs for good measure.
Boom led the Golden Eagles with a season-high 20 smashes, hitting .439 while also pacing the team with five total blocks. The Louisville native ranks seventh in program history in career total blocks and 10th in career solo rejections.
Sophomore setter Jordan Karlen put forth a spectacular effort, recording a career-high 51 assists. The reigning OVC Setter of the Year also led the purple and gold with 15 digs, marking her eighth double-double of the year. She assists on three blocks as well.
Outside hitter Bella Powell turned in 10 kills, eight digs, and two aces while rookie right side Ava Schubert just missed double figures with nine terminations of her own. Libero McKenna Young notched 10 digs and five helpers and defensive specialist Aleeya Jones delivered 13 digs.
The Golden Eagles and Panthers will match up one more time on the weekend, going to battle Saturday evening in a 7:00 p.m. CT tilt in the Hoop. All fans are encouraged to wear pink during the match for Breast Cancer Awareness. The first 100 fans at Saturday's match will receive free popcorn. Admission to all Tech volleyball home matches is free of charge.
Photo by Jim Dillon
