By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – A complete team effort, led by some remarkable performances from the rookies, was all the Tennessee Tech volleyball team needed to claim its first Ohio Valley Conference Tournament victory since 2015 Sunday afternoon, completing a 3-0 sweep over No. 6 seed Little Rock.
The No. 3 Golden Eagles (24-7) topped the Trojans (16-16) for the first time on the year, avenging two, four-set home losses to Little Rock earlier in the regular season to advance to the semifinals of the OVC Tournament. Tech will square off with No. 2 Lindenwood on Monday in a 2:00 p.m. CT tilt at Houck Field House on the campus of No. 1 Southeast Missouri in Cape Girardeau, Mo.
The triumph marked the team's 24th victory of the year, the most by the Cookeville crew in a single season since the 1983 squad set a program record with 31 victories. It also represented the purple and gold's eighth consecutive win and fifth sweep in a row.
As a unit, Tech hit .273 with 47 kills and nine service aces, finding a way to take the big point when it was needed throughout the match. A pair of Golden Eagle freshmen led the way on Sunday, with All-OVC Second Teamer Alayna Pierce piling up a match-high 14 kills.
The Genoa, Ill. native added six digs, two aces, and a block, all while hitting an absurd .520 from her outside hitter position. Fellow rookie Mallory Jenkins smashed .588 in the match, compiling 11 terminations and two blocks while making just one attack error. Joining the freshmen fun, defensive specialist Katie Green kicked in a pair of service aces in the tilt for good measure.
Senior outside and newly minted OVC Player of the Year Madolyn Isringhausen registered 11 kills of her own while securing her 11th double-double of the season with 12 digs. The Edwardsville, Ill. native became the Golden Eagle program's all-time career leader for points on the day, passing Rachel Melchiorre (1994-97) with 1,984.0 in her Tech tenure.
Fellow senior outside Bella Powell tacked on eight terminations of her own while chipping in seven digs.
Fresh off her second nod to the All-OVC First Team of her career, junior setter Jordan Karlen was special for the purple and gold, dishing out 40 assists with three more service aces. Racking up 12 digs, she earned her 17th double-double of the year. She also passed Sharon Anderson (2013-16) on Tech's career assists list, moving into fourth with 3,414 to her name.
Senior libero McKenna Young kept her hot play rolling into the opening round of the OVC Tournament, compiling a match-high 19 digs to go with three assists. Senior defensive specialist Aleeya Jones made her presence felt with nine digs and two aces off the bench.
The purple and gold used 20 kills to get the job done in a marathon opening set, staving off a late rally by the Trojans. Trailing 24-22, Little Rock rattled off three straight points to take a 25-24 lead for set point. Tech answered three consecutive set point situations to tie the match, finally breaking through for a gutsy, 29-27 win thanks to back-to-back kills by Jenkins.
In set two, the Golden Eagles erupted for a tone-setting, 8-0 run to break open a 13-12 edge to a 21-12 advantage. Tech proceeded to stave up an impressive comeback bid by the Trojans, who closed the gap to two before the purple and gold finished things off for a 25-21 win.
The Cookeville crew left little doubt of the eventual outcome in set three, leading wire-to-wire thanks to a 4-0 burst to open the game. Little Rock never closed to within a single point the entire set, cruising to a 25-17 victory while hitting an impressive .324 with 15 kills.
Photo by Jahmil Taylor, OVC Director of Creative Content
