By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – History was still in the making for the Tennessee Tech volleyball team Saturday morning, as the Golden Eagles capped off a perfect 3-0 weekend to win the Carrie Yerty Classic in Memphis with a shut-out victory over Mississippi Valley State.
For the first time in program history, the purple and gold secured a trio of 3-0 wins to open a season, cruising past the Delta Devils (0-3) in straight sets 25-21, 25-13, and 25-20. Tech (3-0) also set a program record for most consecutive set victories to start a year, locking down nine straight to stay unblemished on the young season.
The Golden Eagles withstood a late charge by Mississippi Valley State in the opening set, as the Delta Devils fought back from a six-point deficit to take a 21-20 lead. A savvy timeout by Tech head coach Jeannette Phillips saw the Cookeville crew calmly collect itself and string together five straight points for a 25-21, table-setting win.
Tech's 12 kills and four service aces were enough to withstand the Delta Devils' best offensive effort on the day, providing a runway for its own offense to take over in the second set. After trailing 6-4 early on, the purple and gold exploded for a 9-1 run to take command and never relinquish it.
Soaring to a 25-13 win in the set, the Golden Eagles smashed an unreal .714 with 16 kills and just a single attack error behind an unconscious effort from senior outside hitter Madolyn Isringhausen. The veteran was literally perfect in set two, recording six kills on six swings.
Set three saw the Tech squad open a sizable lead after running off 10 straight points. Leading by as many as 12 points, the Golden Eagles held off a late charge from the Delta Devils, who closed the gap to four. In the end, the purple and gold cleaned up the final few points for a 25-20 win.
Isringhausen capped an insane weekend on the attack with another stellar performance for the Golden Eagles, earning tournament MVP honors while hitting an other-worldly .500 with 15 kills. She added two more aces and six digs to the mix as well.
Junior setter Jordan Karlen was efficient with the offense, racking up 33 assists while quarterbacking Tech to a .302 attack percentage for the day. Rookie middle blocker Mallory Jenkins crushed .417 with seven terminations while tallying two blocks. Both Karlen and Jenkins joined Isringhausen on the All-Tournament Team.
Senior outside Bella Powell also contributed seven kills, hitting .294 while freshman Alayna Pierce tacked on five terminations on a .444 attack. Veteran middle Emma Pabon led the way with three blocks while senior outside Brooke Amann had a huge day at the serving line.
Amann dropped a career-high six aces on the Delta Devils on the day, the fourth-most during a three-set match during the rally-scoring era in Tech history. She also chipped in two kills, two assists, six digs, and two blocks for good measure.
During the weekend, a number of Golden Eagle veterans continued their climbs on the all-time career charts with the program. Young edged past Rachel Melchiorre (1994-97) to take third on Tech's career digs rankings, boasting 1,595 so far in her Tech tenure.
Karlen moved into 10th on the career list for assists, passing Sarah Hagovsky (1996-99) with 2,276 so far. Isringhausen climbed to ninth for career service aces, landing 115 in her time in the purple and gold to pass Maggie Stern (1999-00).
The purple and gold heads will now head east for the Charlotte Invitational, running Friday, Sept. 6 through Saturday, Sept. 7 at Charlotte. After squaring off with the 49ers in a 9:00 a.m. opener on Friday, Tech will return to the court for a 3:30 p.m. appointment with Towson. The weekend concludes for the Golden Eagles on Saturday morning with a 9:00 match versus Delaware State.
File photo by Jim Dillon
