By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech volleyball team makes its final home stand of the season, embarking on a four-match swing in the Hooper Eblen Center with a pair of match-ups with SIUE on Friday and Saturday. 

Friday's series opener will feature a 6:00 p.m. CT start. Saturday's Senior Day match will kick off at 2:00 p.m. with Senior Day festivities and recognition to follow the match. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+ with Mandy Thatcher on the call. 

Tech is 10-6 all-time when taking on the Cougars, including a dazzling 6-1 showing in Cookeville. Last season, in Edwardsville, Ill., SIUE snapped the Golden Eagles' six-match win streak in the series with a pair of 3-1 victories on its home floor.

THE MATCHUPS
Friday, November 8 – vs. SIUE, 6:00 p.m. | Live Stats | Live Video 
Saturday, November 9 – vs. SIUE, 2:00 p.m. | Live Stats | Live Video 

National Level
The purple and gold rank 11th in the country in kills per set (14.06), 24th in assists per set (12.91), and 31st in opponent hitting percentage (.168). Senior outside hitter Madolyn Isringhausen ranks seventh nationally with 4.79 kills per set, sixth in total kills (417), seventh in the country in points (472.5), and 10th with 5.43 points per set, while junior setter Jordan Karlen ranks fifth in the nation in assists per set with a mark of 11.22 and seventh with 976 total assists.

Playing Outside
Senior outside hitter Madolyn Isringhausen kept her remarkable campaign rolling with a pair of strong performances at Southeast Missouri over the weekend, averaging 4.11 kills, 0.67 service aces, 0.33 blocks, and 5.00 points per set. She piled up 23 terminations and three blocks while hitting .294 in Tech's five-set loss on Friday, tying for the second-most aces in a five-set match in the rally-scoring era in school history with a season-high five bombs. She followed it up with 14 kills and an ace in the team's victory on Saturday. She also averaged 3.56 digs per set for the weekend.

The senior has taken home OVC Offensive Player of the Week honors five times on the year. In Saturday's contest, she became just the third Golden Eagle in program history to record 150 service aces in their career.

Setting Things Up
Junior setter Jordan Karlen delivered yet another spectacular weekend of directing the Golden Eagle offense over the weekend, helping Tech to a split at SEMO by averaging 11.11 assists, 3.11 digs, 0.67 aces, and 0.67 blocks per set. In the team's five-set affair on Friday, the junior tallied 50 helpers with four kills, three aces, seven digs, and three blocks. She turned things up in the team's four-set win on Saturday, again doling out 50 assists while mixing in three more aces, three more blocks, and an eye-popping 21 digs. For her efforts, she was named OVC Setter of the Week for the fifth time on the year.

Karlen ranks first in program history with her 11 OVC Setter of the Week honors, sporting five more than any other Golden Eagle. She also boasts 14 total weekly awards from the league in her career, having earned a trio of Freshman of the Week nods on her way to OVC Freshman of the Year in 2022. Those 14 honors also represent the most by a Golden Eagle for a career.

Floor General
Senior libero McKenna Young continued to lead the Golden Eagle defense, registering 40 digs over the weekend. The Murfreesboro averaged 4.44 scoops per set in Tech's two-match stint at Little Rock, chipping in nine assists and her 125th career service ace. Young sits just 51 digs away from becoming just the second player in program history to reach 2,000 in their career. 

Freshman Focus
Rookie outside Alayna Pierce kept her strong rookie campaign going over the weekend at SEMO by contributing 2.44 kills and 4.11 digs per set. In Friday's five-set affair, the outside hitter turned in 10 kills and an impressive 21 digs for her fifth double-double of the year. On Saturday, Pierce racked up 12 kills and 16 more digs for double-double number six on the season. The Genoa, Ill. native has earned OVC Freshman of the Week accolades twice this season.

Current OVC Rankings
A quick glance at where the Golden Eagles rank among the OVC statistical leaders:

• Kills – Isringhausen (1st - 4.79/set); Pierce (6th - 3.15/set)
• Assists – Karlen (1st - 11.22/set)
• Hitting % – Isringhausen (10th - .274)
• Service Aces – Isringhausen (1st - 0.46/set); Karlen (10th - 0.31/set)
• Digs – Young (8th - 4.48/set)
• Points – Isringhausen (1st - 5.43/set); Pierce (7th – 3.53/set)

Career Record Watch
A quick glance at where some of the current Golden Eagles rank in the program's all-time career charts:

• Madolyn Isringhausen
  • 3rd – kills (1,579)
  • 3rd – points (1,841.0)
  • 3rd – service aces (150)
  • 3rd – service aces per set (0.33)
  • 3rd – attacks (4,395)
  • 5th – points per set (4.10)
  • 6th – kills per set (3.52)
  • 8th – sets played (449)

• McKenna Young
  • 2nd – digs (1,949)
  • 2nd – sets played (494)
  • 4th – digs per set (3.95)
  • 8th – matches played (131)
  • 9th – service aces (125)

• Jordan Karlen
  • 2nd – assists per set (10.29)
  • 6th – assists (3,159)

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
  • 5x OVC Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 2, Sept. 16, Sept. 30, Oct. 7, Oct. 21)
  • 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
  • 5x OVC Setter of the Week (Sept. 2, Sept. 16, Oct. 7, Oct. 28, Nov. 4)
  • 4x TSWA Volleyball Player of the Week (Sept. 17, Oct. 8, Oct. 29, Nov. 5)
• 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
Tech wraps up its four-game home stand with its final two matches in the Eblen Center of the year, playing host to Southern Indiana next Thursday and Friday. The two will square off in a 3:30 p.m. CT affair on Thursday, Nov. 14 and close the weekend with a 6:00 p.m. battle Friday, Nov. 15.

Photo by TTU Volleyball