By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech volleyball team opens a four-match, Ohio Valley Conference road stretch Thursday evening, visiting Lindenwood for a pair of tilts between the league's top two teams. The two will square off at 6:00 p.m. CT before finishing off the weekend with another 6:00 p.m. affair Friday night.
Friday's match will be streamed on ESPN+ while Thursday's meeting will feature live stats only.
THE MATCHUPS
Thursday, October 10 – at Lindenwood, 6:00 p.m. | Live Stats
Friday, October 11 – at Lindenwood, 6:00 p.m. | Live Stats | Live Video
Out of the Gates
Tech's 15-1 start to the year represents the best in program history. The Golden Eagles have slung together an impressive nine sweeps during the span while capturing three tournament titles during non-conference play and opening OVC action a perfect 4-0.
National Level
The purple and gold rank seventh in the country in kills per set (14.25), ninth in opponent hitting percentage (.143), and 15th in assists per set (13.00). Senior outside hitter Madolyn Isringhausen ranks sixth nationally with 4.81 kills per set, seventh with 5.48 points per set, and 33rd in the country with 0.51 aces per set, while junior setter Jordan Karlen ranks fourth in the nation in assists per set with a mark of 11.16.
Playing Outside
Senior outside hitter Madolyn Isringhausen continued her torrid pace on offense by averaging 5.13 kills over eight sets against Western Illinois last week. The senior delivered an impressive 16 strikes in the team's 3-0 sweep of WIU on Thursday, including a whopping nine in the third set alone. She also tallied 14 digs for a double-double. In Friday's five-set thriller, she played her role as the team's top weapon, tying her career-high with 25 kills on a .309 attack. Isringhausen tacked on another 15 digs for her second double-double of the week. The Edwardsville, Ill. native earned her fourth OVC Player of the Week honor for her efforts.
Isringhausen continued to etch her name in the program's record books, climbing past Amanda Lindgren (2006-09) for third on the career kills list and jumping over Maggie Stern (1999-02) for third on the career points list.
Setting Things Up
Junior setter Jordan Karlen fed a Golden Eagle offense that reached plateaus unseen by a Tech squad in more than a decade, averaging 12.88 assists and 3.13 digs over eight sets of action. She kicked off the week with 40 helpers in the team's 3-0 sweep of Western Illinois, adding one block and 12 digs to pick up a double-double. The Janesville, Wis. native went off in the five-set thriller on Friday, tying for the fourth most assists in a five-set match in the rally-scoring era in Tech history with an eye-popping 63. She also dropped in a career-high five service aces, earned her ninth double-double of the year with 13 digs, and chipped in three block assists. Tech accounted for 74 kills in the match, the most by the team since crushing 75 against Murray State in the OVC Tournament Championship match in 2008.
Floor General
Senior libero McKenna Young was an instrumental piece in Tech's two wins over Western Illinois last week, averaging 5.00 digs over eight sets of action. The senior opened the week with 14 scoops and three assists in the team's 3-0 sweep over WIU. She followed it up with a season-high 26 digs in the five-set thriller on Friday, tacking on another three helpers for good measure.
Freshman Focus
Rookie outside Alayna Pierce Pierce continued to show immense growth for the Golden Eagles over the weekend, helping lead Tech to a pair of wins over Western Illinois behind brilliant offensive work. In the team's 3-0 sweep on Thursday, the rookie cooked up 15 terminations, eight digs, an ace, and two solo blocks to help the effort. She upped the ante in Friday's five-set triumph, recording a career-high 21 kills to go along with 15 digs for her third career double-double. She also made three solo rejections on three straight plays, leading to a trio of critical Tech points in the match. For her efforts, Pierce took home her second straight OVC Freshman of the Week honors.
Current OVC Rankings
A quick glance at where the Golden Eagles rank among the OVC statistical leaders:
- Hitting Percentage – Isringhausen (8th - .299)
- Kills – Isringhausen (1st - 4.81/set); Pierce (3rd - 3.44/set)
- Assists – Karlen (1st - 11.16/set)
- Service Aces – Isringhausen (1st - 0.51/set); Aleeya Jones (7th - 0.33/set)
- Digs – Young (6th - 4.58/set)
- Points – Isringhausen (1st - 5.48/set); Pierce (3rd – 3.93/set)
Career Record Watch
A quick glance at where some of the current Golden Eagles rank in the program's all-time career charts:
- 3rd – kills (1,436)
- 3rd – points (1,681.0)
- 3rd – service aces (139)
- 3rd – service aces per set (0.33)
- 5th – points per set (4.01)
- 6th – attacks (4,023)
- 6th – kills per set (3.43)
- 2nd – digs (1,820)
- 4th – digs per set (3.92)
- 5th – sets played (464)
- 9th – service aces (122)
- 10th – matches played (123)
- 2nd – assists per set (10.18)
- 8th – assists (2,819)
An Honored Group
A quick look at the honors picked up by the Golden Eagles in 2024:
- Madolyn Isringhausen
- Preseason All-OVC Team
- Carrie Yerty Classic All-Tournament Team
- Carrie Yerty Classic MVP
- Charlotte Invitational All-Tournament Team
- Charlotte Invitational MVP
- Golden Eagle Invitational All-Tournament Team
- Golden Eagle Invitational MVP
- Greensboro Invitational All-Tournament Team
- 4x OVC Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 2, Sept. 16, Sept. 30, Oct. 7)
- TSWA Volleyball Player of the Week (Sept. 3)
- Mallory Jenkins
- Preseason OVC Player to Watch
- Carrie Yerty Classic All-Tournament Team
- Jordan Karlen
- Preseason All-OVC Team
- Carrie Yerty Classic All-Tournament Team
- Golden Eagle Invitational All-Tournament Team
- 3x OVC Setter of the Week (Sept. 2, Sept. 16, Oct. 7)
- 2x TSWA Volleyball Player of the Week (Sept. 17, Oct. 8)
- Alayna Pierce
- 2x OVC Freshman of the Week (Sept. 30, Oct. 7)
- Bella Powell
- Charlotte Invitational All-Tournament Team
- McKenna Young
- Charlotte Invitational All-Tournament Team
- Golden Eagle Invitational All-Tournament Team
Up Next
The Golden Eagles wrap up their four-match road stretch, making a trip north to Charleston, Ill. next weekend. Tech will square off with the Panthers in a 6:00 p.m. tilt on Friday, Oct. 18 and finish the weekend with a 4:00 p.m. match on Saturday, Oct. 19.
Photo by Jim Dillon
