By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – A trio of Golden Eagles went wire-to-wire in terms of Ohio Valley Conference recognition, with junior outside hitter Madolyn Isringhausen, graduate middle blocker Skylar Boom, and sophomore setter Jordan Karlen each earning All-OVC honors as announced by the league Sunday evening.
All three Golden Eagles were named to the Preseason All-OVC Team back in August. On Sunday, both Isringhausen and Boom were honored as members of the All-OVC First Team while Karlen picked up a place on the All-OVC Second Team.
For the third year in a row, at least three members of the Tech squad picked up end-of-year accolades from the OVC.
Isringhausen was a First Team selection for the second straight year and received league recognition for the third year in a row. The Edwardsville, Ill. native piled up 14 double-doubles on the year while recording new career-high marks of 407 kills, a .192 attack percentage, 41 service aces, 283 digs, and 475.0 points.
"Maddie does so much for us on and off of the court, "Tech head coach Jeannette Phillips said," so it's wonderful to see her recognized by the rest of the conference. She has really grown as a leader for us in every way and has continued to spark excitement within our team this season. Although her play has always been impressive, she seems to have taken her game to new heights in these last few weeks, and it's no surprise that her teammates have followed her lead, guiding us to more positive results than we saw earlier in the season."
During the season, Isringhausen turned in single-match career-best performances of 21 digs, three solo blocks, and a .405 attack percentage. She also tied her previous career-high of five aces twice in back-to-back matches against Lindenwood. The Tech veteran recorded her 1,000th dig during the season and sits just one service ace from breaking into the top 10 in Golden Eagle career history.
"She is so impressive in so many ways," Phillips added. "The bar is set so high for Maddie by her teammates, but mostly by herself. She keeps her eyes forward on the next obstacle and due to her top-notch dedication and grit, we know she will have so many more accomplishments in her future."
The junior outside heads into tournament action ranked third in the OVC in points with 4.17 per set, fourth in kills per set with a mark of 3.57, and eighth with 0.36 service aces per set.
Boom was selected to the All-OVC First Team for the first time in her illustrious career, piggybacking off her Second Team honor from a season ago. The Louisville native capped the regular season with career-bests of 230 kills, 116 total blocks, 34 solo blocks, and 310.0 points.
"I could not be more excited for Skylar," Phillips expressed. "She has consistently been a huge piece of what we do for her entire career and I love this honor for her in her final season. She always wants the best for everyone and she works so hard for our team."
The fifth-year middle tied her best single-match mark of four solo rejections an impressive three times during the year, once in which she was named OVC Defensive Player of the Week twice. Heading into her final OVC Tournament in the purple and gold, Boom ranks sixth in Tech history in both total blocks and block assists and 10th in solo rejections.
"We are very lucky that Skylar decided to spend an extra year with us so she had an opportunity to truly show off her capabilities one final time," Phillips added. "Everyone jokes that she is wearing her age on her jersey since she's been with us so long, and now that she has been honored as a member of the First Team, I am sure the other teams are glad she won't be on the other side of the net next season."
Throughout the year, Boom ranked second in the league with 34 solo blocks, fifth with 82 block assists, and fifth with 116 total stops. Her 1.05 blocks per set mark ranked fourth in the OVC.
Karlen earned honors for the second straight year with her Second Team nod, following a rookie campaign that saw her take home OVC Setter of the Year, OVC Freshman of the Year, and All-OVC First Team accolades. She completed the year with 1,049 assists, 14 double-doubles, 293 digs, 19 service aces, 35 total blocks, and 55 kills.
"Jordan is an extraordinary talent," Phillips explained. "She has the ability to play with everything she has all of the time, and everyone feels it. She believes that if she doesn't try her hardest, someone somewhere else is trying harder than she is, and she knows the best way to help our team is to never allow that to be the case."
A three-time OVC Setter of the Week of for the second straight year, Karlen established new single-game career records including six kills, 58 assists, three service aces, and 22 digs. She joined Tech's 2,000 assist club during the year, already within breathing distance of the program's top-10 career charts.
"Her passion is difficult to match and her focus is undeniable," Phillips added. "Jordan has already had numerous personal successes so early in her career and she is a huge part of what we have been able to accomplish as a team. We are all excited to witness what else she will accomplish within her career."
The Janesville, Wis. native heads into postseason action ranked third in the OVC with 10.09 assists per set.
The Golden Eagles will shift their focus to the OVC Tournament, which will take place at No. 1 seed Eastern Illinois in Charleston, Ill. Tech, the No. 6 seed, will square off with No. 3 Lindenwood in the first round on Monday, Nov. 20 in a 7:00 p.m. CT tilt.
Photos by Jim Dillon, Emily Armstrong, and Michael Mann Jr.
