By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
ATLANTA, Ga. – Fresh off one of the greatest single seasons in Tennessee Tech volleyball history, former outside hitter Madolyn Isringhausen will continue her playing career at the professional level, officially making the opening day roster of the Atlanta Vibe of the Pro Volleyball Federation.
Atlanta opens the 2025 season Friday evening with a 7:00 p.m. CT contest at the Omaha Supernovas. Isringhausen is the first Golden Eagle to make the roster of a Pro Volleyball Federation team.
"Maddie is a trailblazer," Tech head coach Jeannette Phillips expressed. "While she is no stranger to doing things that have never been done here at Tennessee Tech, this adds another one to the books. By being the first player from our program to pursue a domestic professional career, she is opening the door for many others to realize this is a possibility. Maddie did so many special things through our program, but what she is doing now is a new kind of special. Her achievements have been plentiful, but this one shows how much heart and passion she has not only for the sport, but to attack new challenges."
The Edwardsville, Ill. native was named an American Volleyball Coaches Association Division I Women's All-American Honorable Mention following her incredible senior campaign, becoming the first Golden Eagle in program history to earn All-American honors.
She was also selected as an AVCA All-South Region Team Honorable Mention to join TTU Sports Hall of Famer Rachel Melchiorre (1997) as the only Golden Eagles to earn All-Region recognition. Isringhausen was just the 17th student-athlete to represent the Ohio Valley Conference and earn an All-American nod as well.
Isringhausen turned in one of the most dominant and decorated single-season performances in the history of the program, setting school records for the rally-scoring era for kills (559), kills per set (4.90), service aces (59), service aces per set (0.52), points (642.0), and points per set (5.63). During the year, the Edwardsville, Ill. native piled up a league-record eight Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors, including each of the final three weeks of the regular season.
The first player in Tech history to collect National Player of the Week honors, Isringhausen paced the OVC kills, kills per set, aces, aces per set, points, and points per set, while also ranking eighth in hitting percentage with a mark of .291. The senior wasn't just the best in the league, but one of the best in the country, ranking third in the nation in points, fourth in kills, sixth in kills per set, seventh in points per set, ninth in service aces, and 14th in aces per set.
The fourth Golden Eagle in program history to earn OVC Player of the Year honors, joining an elite group of Kim Tunnell (1985), Becky Murray Isom (1986), and Leah Meffert (2008), Isringhausen also became just the fourth member of the Tech program to collect All-OVC First Team recognition three times, a club that features Murray Isom (1985-88), Meffert (2007-10), and Taylor Dorsey (2018-22).
"As Maddie grows her fan base, she has every Golden Eagle behind her cheering her on," Phillips added. "Even though it's weird seeing her in a different jersey, we are so excited to see her continue to have fun through the sport she loves."
Her All-OVC First Team nod was also the fourth All-OVC honor of her career, making her a member of a crew of just four other Golden Eagles to accomplish the feat, including Meffer, Dorsey, and Stephanie Busch (1997-00). The Tech leader cemented herself as one of the best to ever don the purple and gold, plastering her name all over the career rankings for the program.
Isringhausen concluded her five-year stretch in Cookeville saw her finish first among career leaders for the program with 2,011.0 points, second with 1,721 kills, 4,737 attacks, and 169 service aces, third with 0.36 aces per set and 4.21 points per set, fourth with 476 sets played, fifth with 3.62 kills per set, and ninth with 127 matches played. Additionally, she became just the 11th member of the program's Double Grand Club, securing more than 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs during her career.
Following this year's OVC Championships, Isringhausen was selected to the OVC All-Tournament Team for her efforts in Tech's two contests, a 3-0 sweep over Little Rock and a heartbreaking, 3-2 loss to eventual champion Lindenwood.
