Panthers top Golden Eagles in weekend opener in Charleston
CHARLESTON, Ill. – It was an uneven night on the attack for the Tennessee Tech volleyball team Friday evening, as the Golden Eagles fell to Eastern Illinois at Groniger Arena in Charleston, Ill., 3-1.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
22 | 25 | 18 | 18 | 1 |
|
|
25 | 11 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Team Stats
Eastern Illinois
| Game Statistics | Tennessee Tech | Eastern Illinois |
|---|---|---|
| Hitting % | .136 | .182 |
| Blocks | 10.0 | 7.0 |
| Digs | 48 | 45 |
| Aces | 8 | 3 |
By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
CHARLESTON, Ill. – It was an uneven night on the attack for the Tennessee Tech volleyball team Friday evening, as the Golden Eagles fell to Eastern Illinois at Groniger Arena in Charleston, Ill., 3-1.
The Panthers (6-12, 2-6) did just enough to keep the Tech offense from finding and keeping its rhythm during the contest, holding the typically potent purple and gold to 43 kills on a .136 hitting percentage. The Golden Eagles (15-4, 4-3) piled up 10.0 total blocks and eight service aces to supplement the offense, but it wasn't enough to overcome the team's own 26 attack errors and 11 service errors.
Tech took command of the opening set early, pushing out to a six-point lead. Eastern Illinois responded with a run to square the set at 16-16 and eventually pulled away down the stretch for a 25-22 victory.
The Golden Eagles responded with a massive rout in set two, using nine kills, six aces, and five blocks to deliver a decisive, 25-11 triumph to even the match at 1-1.
EIU dialed up its own offense to a new level in the third set, exploding for 18 kills to produce a 25-18 win to take back over the lead. The Panthers doubled up on that score, using another 25-18 decision to capture the match after forcing 11 attack errors and three service errors by the purple and gold.
Senior outside hitter Madolyn Isringhausen led the Golden Eagle effort with a match-high 19 kills, hitting .213 with an ace, seven digs, and two blocks. Rookie outside Alayna Pierce tallied nine terminations and 10 digs, just missing out on a double-double.
Junior setter Jordan Karlen doled out 40 assists to go along with a match-high four service aces, tacking on seven digs and three block assists as well. During the evening, Karlen passed former Golden Eagle setter Ashley Hand for sixth on the program's all-time career charts for assists, now boasting 2,920 for her career.
Senior middle blocker Elena Wallace piled up a Tech career-high five blocks to share the team lead with outside hitter Bella Powell. The fellow senior added seven kills to her five total rejections. Senior libero McKenna Young tacked on a team-high 12 digs on the night as well.
The Golden Eagles and Panthers will square off one more time at Groniger Arena, with a rematch slated for 4:00 p.m. Saturday afternoon in Charleston.
File photo by Jim Dillon
