Trio of Golden Eagles take top weekly volleyball honors from OVC
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – It was a banner week for the Tennessee Tech volleyball team, as the Golden Eagles capped a pair of sweeps over Southern Indiana over the weekend with a trio of weekly honors from the Ohio Valley Conference.
By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – It was a banner week for the Tennessee Tech volleyball team, as the Golden Eagles capped a pair of sweeps over Southern Indiana over the weekend with a trio of weekly honors from the Ohio Valley Conference.
On Monday, the league announced that senior outside hitter Madolyn Isringhausen was selected as the OVC Offensive Player of the Week for the seventh time this season, junior setter Jordan Karlen was named the OVC Setter of the Week for the seventh time on the year, and rookie outside Alayna Pierce was picked as the OVC Freshman of the Week for the third time.
Isringhausen produced another strong week of offense for the purple and gold, leading the team to its fourth and fifth straight wins in her final home games in the Eblen Center. The senior averaged 4.67 kills, 0.50 aces, and 5.25 points per set, kicking in 2.67 digs per set for good measure.
In Thursday's opener, the outside hitter smashed 17 terminations on a .289 attack, mixing in a pair of aces and a block for 19.5 points. She followed it up with 11 kills and another ace on Friday, helping secure the team's fifth straight win.
Karlen was a rock star for the purple and gold over the weekend, leading the team to a .253 attack percentage while averaging 12.83 assists, 1.67 kills, 0.50 aces, 3.33 digs, and 2.50 points per set. For the second match in a row, the junior flirted with a triple-double on Thursday, finishing with six kills, 41 helpers, 12 digs, a block, and an ace in the team's three sets.
In Friday's home finale, the setter dialed up four terminations, 36 more assists, eight digs, a block, and two more aces. Karlen's seventh weekly honor of the year extended her program records for a single season and for a career, marking the 13th Setter of the Week accolade and 16th total weekly recognition.
Pierce delivered a big weekend in helping guide Tech to its pair of victories, averaging 3.50 kills, 0.67 service aces, 3.50 digs, and 4.33 points per set. On Thursday, the freshman contributed nine terminations, an ace, and 11 digs, mixing in a block for good measure.
She really upped the ante in Friday's tilt, picking up her seventh double-double of the year with a match-high 12 kills, three aces, a block, and 10 more digs. Her 15.5 points also led the match.
The Golden Eagles conclude the 2024 regular season with a final tune-up at UT Martin before embarking for the OVC Tournament. Tech will square off with its in-state rival in a 6:00 p.m. CT tilt on Tuesday, Nov. 19, and again in a 4:00 p.m. match-up on Wednesday, Nov. 20.
Photos by Jim Dillon
