By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – History continued to unfold for the Tennessee Tech volleyball team on Friday, as the Golden Eagles extended their undefeated set streak to start the 2024 season on their way to a pair of victories at the Charlotte Invitational.
The purple and gold (5-0) made it 12 consecutive set wins to open the year, locking down its fourth consecutive sweep to start the season with a 3-0 decision over host Charlotte (2-5). While the streak ended in the team's second match-up of the day against Towson (5-1), the Golden Eagles continued their unbeaten mark by gutting out a 3-2 victory. The Cookeville crew handed the Tigers, who came into the game 119-17 since 2019, their first loss of the year as well.
Tech's five straight wins to kick off the 2024 campaign tied for the most by the program since winning its first five matches in 2000. The lone squad to capture more consecutive wins to start a year was the 1983 team, which began the year with seven dubs in a row.
It was quick work by the purple and gold to start the day, taking the opening set from the host 49ers in commanding fashion, 25-16. Tech rolled to a .500 hitting percentage and a whopping 17 kills in the game, blasting out front immediately and never looking back.
Set two sent very similar for the Golden Eagles, topping Charlotte 25-16 again with 15 terminations before securing the victory with a 25-20 win in the third set with 14 more kills. In unsurprising fashion, junior setter Jordan Karlen directed the potent Tech attack, piling up 35 assists across the three sets while posting her second double-double of the season with 11 digs.
Senior outside hitter Madolyn Isringhausen set the tone on offense, leading all players with 13 kills while chipping three service aces and five digs. Fellow outside Bella Powell delivered a special performance, rocking 12 terminations on a robust .611 attack percentage.
Rookie middle blocker Mallory Jenkins smashed .692 with nine kills and a solo rejection while senior outside Brooke Amann tacked on seven kills and eight digs with a .400 attack. Senior libero McKenna Young rounded up eight digs and turned in three aces of her own.
The Golden Eagles dug deep in the match with the Tigers, dropping their first set of the season in the opener in a game that saw neither side take larger than a two-point lead until the final score of 25-22. Tech rebounded with 14 kills and a .353 hitting percentage to even things up with a 25-15 set-two win.
In set three, the purple and gold struggled to find its footing on offense and Towson took control, moving in front 2-1 with a 25-19 win. The Golden Eagles bounced back again, ratcheting up 14 more terminations with a .303 attack while cruising to a match-tying, 25-15 win.
Towson looked well on its way to a fifth-set win after moving in front, 12-8, late, but Tech never lost faith and battled its way back into the thick of it. Facing match point and behind 14-12, the purple and gold gathered back-to-back kills from freshman outside Alayna Pierce and Isringhausen, squaring the match at 14-all.
After the two sides traded points, the Tigers made costly mistakes on the final two possessions, including a service error and a bad set, to send the Golden Eagles into the win column. Tech's defensive pressure helped the cause, with the Golden Eagles loading up 11 blocks on the day.
Isringhausen was again special for the Cookeville crew, piling up a career-high 25 kills while hitting .375 with three more service aces. She chalked up a season-high 13 digs as well to earn her first double-double of the year.
Karlen doled out 49 more helpers to help keep the offensive machine moving in the right direction. She also turned in 13 digs for her second double-double of the day and third of the season. Young vacuumed up 26 digs to led the purple and gold while Amann added 10 more to along with eight kills and two aces.
Powell presented 10 kills to the mix while totaling three total blocks and Jenkins made three solo rejections with five kills. Pierce registered six kills while hitting .357 in just two sets, adding four digs, two blocks, and an ace for good measure. Senior middle Elena Wallace contributed three total blocks as well.
During the day, a pair of Golden Eagle veterans continued their climbs on the all-time career charts with the program. Karlen moved into eighth on the career list for assists, passing both Melanie Culp (2007-10) and Nancy Meyer (2002-05) with 2,360 so far.
Isringhausen cracked the top-10 career list for kills, tying Bonnie Zoss (1989-92) for 10th overall. She also climbed to eighth for career service aces, landing 121 in her time in the purple and gold to pass Dee Dee Malone (1988-90).
Tech wraps up play at the Charlotte Invitational on Saturday with a 12:00 p.m. CT affair against Delaware State.
Photo by Charlotte Athletics
