Golden Eagles conclude regular season with midweek matches at UT Martin
November 18, 2024

Golden Eagles conclude regular season with midweek matches at UT Martin

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech volleyball team concludes the 2024 regular season on Tuesday and Wednesday, visiting in-state rival UT Martin for a pair of match-ups in Skyhawk Fieldhouse.

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By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech volleyball team concludes the 2024 regular season on Tuesday and Wednesday, visiting in-state rival UT Martin for a pair of match-ups in Skyhawk Fieldhouse.

Tuesday's series opener will feature a 6:00 p.m. CT start while Wednesday's regular-season finale will kick off at 4:00 p.m. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+. 

Tech is 43-26 all-time when facing their in-state rival, posting a 16-13 mark on the road. Last season, in Cookeville, the two sides traded wins in the Hooper Eblen Center. The Skyhawks took the first contest 3-1 before the Golden Eagles earned the 3-2 edge in the second match.

THE MATCHUPS
Tuesday, November 19 – at UT Martin, 6:00 p.m. | Live Stats | Live Video 
Wednesday, November 20 – at UT Martin, 4:00 p.m. | Live Stats | Live Video 

National Level
The purple and gold rank seventh in the country in kills per set (14.28), 21st in opponent hitting percentage (.162), 23rd in assists per set (12.97). Senior outside hitter Madolyn Isringhausen ranks sixth nationally in kills per set (4.92), seventh in the country in points (557.0), eighth with 492 total kills, and eighth with 5.57 points per set, while junior setter Jordan Karlen ranks fourth in the nation in assists per set with a mark of 11.26 and 10th with 1,126 total assists.

Playing Outside
 Senior outside hitter Madolyn 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.

For her efforts, Isringhausen picked up her program-record seventh OVC Offensive Player of the Week nod of the year.

Setting Things Up
 Junior setter Jordan 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. It also represented her fourth consecutive weekly honor from the OVC.

Floor General
 Senior libero McKenna Young paced the Golden Eagle defense yet again, registering 33 digs over the weekend. The Murfreesboro native averaged 4.71 scoops per set in Tech's pair of victories over SIUE, adding seven assists and an ace to the mix. Young sits just 18 digs away from becoming only the second player in program history to reach 2,000 in their career. She also needs to play in just four more sets to pass Taylor Dorsey (2018-22) and become Tech's all-time career leader in the category.

Freshman Focus
 Rookie outside Alayna 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 Genoa, Ill. native earned OVC Freshman of the Week for the third time this season due to her efforts.

Current OVC Rankings
 A quick glance at where the Golden Eagles rank among the OVC statistical leaders:

  • Kills – Isringhausen (1st - 4.92/set); Pierce (6th - 3.09/set)
  • Assists – Karlen (1st - 11.26/set)
  • Hitting % – Isringhausen (9th - .284)
  • Service Aces – Isringhausen (1st - 0.45/set); Karlen (5th - 0.32/set); Aleeya Jones (7th - 0.31/set)
  • Digs – Young (8th - 4.51/set)
  • Points – Isringhausen (1st - 5.57/set); Pierce (6th – 3.49/set)

Career Record Watch
 A quick glance at where some of the current Golden Eagles rank in the program's all-time career charts:

  • Madolyn Isringhausen
    • 2nd – attacks (4,558) – 11th in OVC history
    • 3rd – kills (1,654) – 12th in OVC history
    • 3rd – points (1,926.0)
    • 3rd – service aces (155)
    • 3rd – service aces per set (0.34)
    • 5th – points per set (4.17)
    • 5th – kills per set (3.58)
    • 7th – sets played (462)
  • McKenna Young
    • 1st– sets played (507)
    • 2nd – digs (2,010) – 15th in OVC history
    • 4th – digs per set (3.96)
    • 7th – matches played (135)
    • 8th – service aces (127)
  • Jordan Karlen
    • 2nd – assists per set (10.34)
    • 5th – assists (3,309)

An Honored Group
 A quick look at the honors picked up by the Golden Eagles in 2024:

  • Madolyn Isringhausen
    • Preseason All-OVC Team
    • Carrie Yerty Classic All-Tournament Team
    • Carrie Yerty Classic MVP
    • Charlotte Invitational All-Tournament Team
    • Charlotte Invitational MVP
    • Golden Eagle Invitational All-Tournament Team
    • Golden Eagle Invitational MVP
    • Greensboro Invitational All-Tournament Team
    • 7x OVC Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 2, Sept. 16, Sept. 30, Oct. 7, Oct. 21, Nov. 11, Nov. 18)
    • 2x TSWA Volleyball Player of the Week (Sept. 3, Nov. 12)
    • AVCA/GameChanger Division I National Player of the Week (Nov. 12)
  • Mallory Jenkins
    • Preseason OVC Player to Watch
    • Carrie Yerty Classic All-Tournament Team
  • Jordan Karlen
    • Preseason All-OVC Team
    • Carrie Yerty Classic All-Tournament Team
    • Golden Eagle Invitational All-Tournament Team
    • 7x OVC Setter of the Week (Sept. 2, Sept. 16, Oct. 7, Oct. 28, Nov. 4, Nov. 11, Nov. 18)
    • 4x TSWA Volleyball Player of the Week (Sept. 17, Oct. 8, Oct. 29, Nov. 5)
  • Alayna Pierce
    • 3x OVC Freshman of the Week (Sept. 30, Oct. 7, Nov. 18)
  • Bella Powell
    • Charlotte Invitational All-Tournament Team
  • McKenna Young
    • Charlotte Invitational All-Tournament Team
    • Golden Eagle Invitational All-Tournament Team 

Photo by Jim Dillon