Isringhausen, Karlen claim second OVC Offensive, Setter of the Week nods
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – Catapulting the Tennessee Tech volleyball team into rarified air as one of just 16 undefeated programs left in the nation at the Division I level, Madolyn Isringhausen and Jordan Karlen were honored by the Ohio Valley Conference Monday afternoon for their roles in the Golden Eagles' rise to one of the top teams in the country.
By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – Catapulting the Tennessee Tech volleyball team into rarified air as one of just 16 undefeated programs left in the nation at the Division I level, Madolyn Isringhausen and Jordan Karlen were honored by the Ohio Valley Conference Monday afternoon for their roles in the Golden Eagles' rise to one of the top teams in the country.
For the second time this season and in her career, Isringhausen was selected as the OVC Offensive Player of the Week, sharing the honor with Tennessee State's Celestial Miller. The senior averaged an impressive 4.56 kills, a .326 hitting percentage, and an eye-popping 1.00 service aces per set while leading the purple and gold to their third consecutive unbeaten weekend.
Guiding the Cookeville crew to its third tournament title in as many weeks, Isringhausen led three sweeping efforts at Tech's Golden Eagle Invitational presented by Holiday Inn of Cookeville. The Edwardsville, Ill. native dialed up 10 kills with three aces and nine digs in Tech's win over Nicholls and then exploded for 17 terminations on a .419 attack with three more aces and 11 scoops for a double-double against West Georgia. The outside hitter ended the weekend with 14 more kills, a 296 hitting percentage, seven digs, and three more aces versus Radford.
Competing at a career rate across the board, Isringhausen has splashed her name at the top of the national leaderboards in a number of key statistics. The veteran ranks fifth in the country with 0.76 aces per set, sixth with 5.60 points per set, and eighth with 4.72 kills per set.
Karlen produced at an elite rate during the weekend for the Golden Eagles, capturing her second OVC Setter of the Week accolade this season and the eighth of her career. The junior doled out a whopping 12.44 assists per set while adding 2.00 digs per set. She also quarterbacked a Tech offense that hit an elite .285 for the weekend.
The Janesville, Wis. native opened the weekend with 40 helpers, two kills, four digs, and a block against Nicholls. She turned in 41 more assists with 10 digs for a double-double with two aces against West Georgia. Karlen ended things with a three-kill, 31-assist showing with Radford, landing three more aces and scooping four digs.
The OVC's Setter of the Year as a rookie in 2022 and All-OVC Second Team selection last season (despite battling a season-long shoulder injury), Karlen has established herself as one of the country's best setters. The junior ranks eighth nationally in assists per set with a mark of 11.03.
As a unit, the Golden Eagles are not only one of 16 unbeaten teams left in Division I volleyball, but also one of just six that sit at 9-0 this season, joining Arizona, Michigan, Syracuse, UConn, and UT Arlington. The purple and gold rank sixth in the country in aces per set (2.34), 10th in opponent hitting percentage (.127), 15th in kills per set (14.14), and 29th in assists per set (12.86).
Tech wraps up the non-conference portion of its schedule next weekend at the Greensboro Invitational. The Golden Eagles will open play Friday, Sept. 20 against host UNCG in a 12:00 p.m. CT tilt before taking on Marshall later in the day at 3:30 p.m. The weekend concludes with a 10:00 a.m. session against Georgetown Saturday morning.
Photos by Jim Dillon
