By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – It was an instant classic at Kean Hall in Nashville Friday evening, as the Tennessee Tech volleyball team outdueled in-state rival Tennessee State in the team's Ohio Valley Conference opener, 3-2.
In a match that featured plenty of ups and downs, the Golden Eagles (12-1, 1-0) reigned supreme behind a relentless attack and tenacious effort across the board. The purple and gold piled up 62 kills on a season-high 186 attempts, more than 22 more than the Tigers (4-11, 0-1).
Set one was a dogfight from the beginning to the end, with neither side building more than a three-point lead. Tech built an 18-15 advantage, but TSU called a timeout and promptly tied the set before eventually taking the opener, 25-23.
Despite holding a 16-11 advantage in the kill department in the set, the Cookeville crew couldn't make up for the Tigers' five combined blocks and three aces as the difference. Tech rebounded from there, holding Tennessee State without double-digit kills the rest of the way.
That included set two, when the Golden Eagles limited TSU to eight terminations and forced eight attack errors. The purple and gold rallied from a 12-10 deficit to take the lead and never look back, taking a 25-18 win with 12 kills.
The Tiger defense made things particularly difficult for the purple and gold in set three, amassing 6.0 total blocks while forcing a total of 12 Tech attack errors. It proved too much for the Golden Eagles to push past, with TSU collecting a 25-22 win and a 2-1 lead in the match.
Tennessee State seemed to have all the momentum on its side, rolling into set four and immediately taking a 4-1 lead. Tech ignored the pressure and ended the set on a 24-7 run, earning a 25-11 victory behind a 14-6 advantage in kills.
The match turned right back into a dogfight in set five, with the two sides trading blows up to a 9-9 tie. The Tigers edged out front by one, only to see the Golden Eagles respond with back-to-back kills from senior outside hitter Madolyn Isringhausen.
Tech never let TSU back in, holding the advantage until the very end when a kill from outside hitter Bella Powell provided the final exclamation point on a 15-13 win. It took 11 more terminations from the purple and gold to solidify a perfect 1-0 start to OVC play, all while holding the Tigers to just six of their own.
Isringhausen paced the entire match behind an impressive 23 kills on 50 swings, smashing .300 for the match. She also tallied four blocks and 10 digs, recording her third double-double of the season. The Edwardsville, Ill. native passed Anne Morrow (2002-05) for sixth on Tech's all-time career charts for kills with 1,370 to her name so far. She also climbed to sixth on the all-time points list with 1,611.0, passing Vanessa Johnson (1980-83) and Laura Sidorowicz (2001-04) along the way.
Directing the league's top offense to another win, junior setter Jordan Karlen doled out 50 assists on the night while corralling a season-high 21 digs for her sixth double-double of the year. The Janesville, Wis. native currently ranks eighth in program history for assists.
Senior libero McKenna Young was all over the place for the Tech defense, producing 21 scoops to go along with five assists and an ace. The Murfreesboro, Tenn. native officially moved into second place on Tech's all-time career rankings for digs, inching past Courtney Smith (2011-14) with 1,765 so far.
Freshman outside Alayna Pierce locked down 15 strikes for the purple and gold, dialing up a pair of aces, nine digs, and two blocks for 18.0 total points. Joining her fellow outsides in the double-digit kill club was senior Bella Powell, smashing 12 terminations with six digs.
Rookie middle blocker Mallory Jenkins nearly joined the group, settling for nine kills and two blocks for the night. Defensive specialist Aleeya Jones chipped in seven digs and two aces to the effort as well.
The Golden Eagles are set to return home to host Morehead State on Saturday in a 4:00 p.m. affair in the Hooper Eblen Center.
File photo by Jim Dillon
