Senior Night ahead as Golden Eagles host UT Martin Thursday and Friday
October 22, 2025

Senior Night ahead as Golden Eagles host UT Martin Thursday and Friday

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – There’s still plenty of volleyball to play as the Tennessee Tech team has at least a month remaining in the Ohio Valley Conference race. As this weekend’s matches will present themselves as the final weekend home matches for the Golden Eagles this season in the Eblen Center, it provides a perfect time for Tech to honor its seniors. The Golden Eagles will honor Jordan Karlen, MK Roberts and Ayanna Rodgers during the ceremony, while Bella Powell, who was honored at Senior Day last season, will be recognized.

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By Thomas Corhern, TTU Athletics Media Relations

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – There's still plenty of volleyball to play as the Tennessee Tech team has at least a month remaining in the Ohio Valley Conference race.

As this weekend's matches will present themselves as the final weekend home matches for the Golden Eagles this season in the Eblen Center, it provides a perfect time for Tech to honor its seniors.

The Golden Eagles will honor Jordan Karlen, MK Roberts and Ayanna Rodgers during the ceremony, while Bella Powell, who was honored at Senior Day last season, will be recognized.

The matches against UT Martin will be Thursday at 6 p.m. and Friday at 4 p.m. Dylan Vazzano will have the call on ESPN+ (subscription required).

Also among the festivities this weekend are the Tech Digs Pink initiative for breast cancer awareness, Alumni Weekend and the 50th anniversary celebration for the Tech Volleyball program.

Tech currently stands at 7-13 overall, 4-4 in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Golden Eagles started league play with 3-2 and 3-0 wins over Western Illinois, then came home for a pair of 3-1 defeats at the hands of Southeast Missouri. Tech rebounded with a 3-1 and 3-0 winning series against Tennessee State, then fell 3-1 and 3-0 at league leader Morehead State, snapping its 17-set winning streak.

The Skyhawks are looking for their third win of the season, standing at 2-17 overall and 1-7 in the Ohio Valley Conference. UTM started off the league slate with three straight losing sweeps against Southeast Missouri, Little Rock and Lindenwood before the Skyhawks claimed a set in the second match. UTM split with Western Illinois, falling 3-1 and winning 3-2, then fell to consecutive 3-1 matches to SIUE.

Martin's offense runs through Kayla Bryant and Kylie Surratt as both players have 206 points on the season. Bryant has 168 kills with 33 service aces, while Surratt has a team-best 180 kills with eight aces and 33 blocks.

Setter Ava Peters has 529 assists for the Skyhawks, averaging 8.14 per set. Abby Freund leads the team in digs with 272, while Carly Mueller has a team-best 54 blocks, while Kristin Phillips has 48.

On the Golden Eagles' side, Powell leads the team with 249 kills with a quartet – Alayna Pierce (118), Audrey Berkebile (104), Tuva Falk (103) and Jordyn Milhouse (101) – all over the century mark.

Karlen leads Tech in assists with 680, averaging 9.32 per set, while Powell and Falk have 27 service aces. Roberts has 225 digs, while Powell has 199 and Karlen 176. Falk leads the team in total blocks with 45, Jordyn Milhouse has 39 and Powell 27.

Karlen, the 12th member of Tech's Double Grand Club, enters the weekend with 4,150 career assists (10.2 per set) and 1,076 digs (2.64 per set), while also collecting 234 kills and 151 blocks.

Roberts, in her second season with the Golden Eagles after two seasons at UNC Asheville, has been a great defensive player for Tech, recording 225 digs this season as well as 23 service aces and 71 assists.

Rodgers, the daughter of former men's basketball standout Jerome Rodgers, has 55 career kills and 28 blocks. Powell has 748 total kills, 482 digs, 55 service aces and 126 total blocks.

Admission to all Tech Volleyball matches in the Eblen Center is free to the public.