Golden Eagles open conference play Thursday at Western Illinois
MACOMB, Ill. – The non-conference games are in the rear-view mirror, now the hunt for the Ohio Valley Conference championship begins in earnest as the Tennessee Tech volleyball team opens up league play Thursday against Western Illinois. The Golden Eagles, projected third in the OVC preseason poll, will take on the Leathernecks at 5 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Friday. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required).
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | T |
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16 | 26 | 15 | 25 | 11 | 2 |
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25 | 24 | 25 | 19 | 15 | 3 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T |
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19 | 18 | 20 | 0 |
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25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Team Stats
Western Illinois
| Game Statistics | Tennessee Tech | Western Illinois |
|---|---|---|
| Hitting % | 0.188 | 0.088 |
| Blocks | 5 | 10 |
| Digs | 74 | 54 |
| Aces | 10 | 8 |
Western Illinois
| Game Statistics | Tennessee Tech | Western Illinois |
|---|---|---|
| Hitting % | 0.271 | 0.11 |
| Blocks | 4 | 3 |
| Digs | 40 | 28 |
| Aces | 7 | 6 |
By Thomas Corhern, TTU Athletics Media Relations
MACOMB, Ill. – The non-conference games are in the rear-view mirror, now the hunt for the Ohio Valley Conference championship begins in earnest as the Tennessee Tech volleyball team opens up league play Thursday against Western Illinois.
The Golden Eagles, projected third in the OVC preseason poll, will take on the Leathernecks at 5 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Friday. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required).
Tech enters the match with a 3-9 record overall, but the number is misleading as the Golden Eagles have faced some tough matchups. However, it's a whole new start as Tech heads into Macomb.
Western Illinois enters the match with a 3-10 record, going 1-2 last week in their home tournament as the Leathernecks swept Chicago State in three sets before dropping sweeps against Valparaiso and Missouri,
WIU fell 3-1 to Morehead State at the Evansville tournament. In common opponents, the Leathernecks fell 3-2 to Murray State, beat Austin Peay 3-0 and lost 3-1 to UAB.
Keyana Cruse leads the team in kills with 162 as well as 171 digs. Jaleah Bauss has a team-best 207 assists, while Madelyn Norton has 123. Grace Kremer has a team-best 49 total blocks with seven solo and 42 assisted.
Tech went 1-2 last week at the Capital Credit Union Classic with a pair of losses to Northern Iowa and Western Michigan and a 3-1 victory over Green Bay.
Bella Powell leads the Golden Eagles with 141 kills, while Audrey Berkebile has 71, Jordyn Milhouse 61, Tuva Falk 56 and Alayna Pierce 51. Jordan Karlen continues her fantastic setting numbers with 373 assists – 8.67 per set, while MK Roberts has 128 digs and Powell 101. Freshmen Milhouse and Falk lead the team in blocks with 25 and 24 respectively.
After the trip to Macomb, the Golden Eagles will return home to four straight matches as Tech hosts Southeast Missouri next Thursday and Friday, then Tennessee State on Oct. 10 and 11. All volleyball matches at the Hooper Eblen Center are free to the public.
Photo | Thomas Corhern, TTU Athletics Media Relations
