Purple and gold fall in five-set battle Friday evening at SEMO
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – In a match that came down to the margins, it was first-place Southeast Missouri claiming victory over the Tennessee Tech volleyball team Friday evening, as the two Ohio Valley Conference rivals battled all the way through a fifth set.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
22 | 25 | 25 | 21 | 9 | 2 |
|
|
25 | 17 | 21 | 25 | 15 | 3 |
Team Stats
Tennessee Tech
Southeast Missouri
| Game Statistics | Tennessee Tech | Southeast Missouri |
|---|---|---|
| Hitting % | .238 | .220 |
| Blocks | 9.0 | 9.0 |
| Digs | 83 | 81 |
| Aces | 11 | 11 |
By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – In a match that came down to the margins, it was first-place Southeast Missouri claiming victory over the Tennessee Tech volleyball team Friday evening, as the two Ohio Valley Conference rivals battled all the way through a fifth set.
The Redhawks (13-10, 10-1) topped the Golden Eagles (16-7, 5-6) by a final score of 3-2, producing a comeback on their home floor to record their ninth straight win in league play. SEMO set the tone early, taking a decisive lead in the opening set at 18-10.
Tech scrapped and clawed its way back behind a relentless attack, eventually squaring things at 21-21 and taking a one-point lead of its own. The home team regrouped however, scoring the final four points of the set for a 25-22 win.
The trend looked similar for set two, with the Redhawks pushing out to a four-point lead at 10-6. The purple and gold delivered an instant response, dropping a 14-1 run to take a commanding, 20-11 lead. The gap proved much too large for SEMO to mount any sort of comeback and the Cookeville crew settled in for a 25-17 victory to even the match.
The Golden Eagles took their first lead of the night in set three, building another big lead at 10-3 and holding on down the stretch for a 25-21 dub. The Tech attack lost some of its efficiency in set four, piling up 11 errors on swings despite racking up 15 kills. The struggles proved detrimental, as the Redhawks forced a fifth set with a 25-21 win.
SEMO exploded out of the gates to open the final game of the night, bursting out to a 6-1 lead. Tech was unable to string together back-to-back points in the set, falling 15-9.
Senior Madolyn Isringhausen continued her brilliant play despite the loss, totaling a match-high 23 kills behind a .294 hitting percentage. The outside hitter produced her eighth double-double of the year thanks to a career-high 23 digs and tied for the second-most aces in a five-set match in the rally-scoring era in school history with a season-high five bombs. For good measure, the veteran added three blocks as well, totaling a career-best 30.0 points.
Junior Jordan Karlen dished out 50 assists on the night, supplying seven digs, four kills, three aces, and three blocks to the effort as well. Rookie outside Alayna Pierce mixed in 10 terminations and a season-high 21 digs for her fifth double-double of the season.
Libero McKenna Young scooped up 20 digs to pair with four assists in the match. The senior moved into second place on Tech's career charts for set played, appearing in 490 throughout her Golden Eagle tenure.
Senior middle blocker Elena Wallace chalked up nine kills and a team-high five rejections while freshman middle Mallory Jenkins also tallied nine spikes and three blocks. Rookie defensive specialist Katie Green dropped in a season-best three service aces in the tilt.
Tech will get a chance at redemption Saturday afternoon with a 2:00 p.m. CT match-up with the Redhawks on the books at Houck Field House.
File photo by Jim Dillon
