Tech Volleyball looks to stave off Little Rock in final road series
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The final week of the Ohio Valley Conference volleyball regular season has arrived. Tennessee Tech enters the week with four matches on tap with a two-match set on the road at Little Rock on Thursday and Friday, then a two-match set at home next Tuesday and Wednesday. The Trojans and the Golden Eagles enter tomorrow’s matchup with identical 9-5 records in league play with Little Rock holding on to a 14-12 overall record and Tech 12-14.
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19 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 15 | 2 |
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25 | 25 | 13 | 11 | 17 | 3 |
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22 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
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25 | 13 | 17 | 22 | 1 |
Team Stats
Tennessee Tech
Little Rock
| Game Statistics | Tennessee Tech | Little Rock |
|---|---|---|
| Hitting % | 0.14 | 0.221 |
| Blocks | 7 | 6 |
| Digs | 77 | 85 |
| Aces | 5 | 3 |
Little Rock
| Game Statistics | Tennessee Tech | Little Rock |
|---|---|---|
| Hitting % | 0.047 | 0.2 |
| Blocks | 9 | 9 |
| Digs | 64 | 65 |
| Aces | 8 | 6 |
By Thomas Corhern, TTU Athletics Media Relations
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The final week of the Ohio Valley Conference volleyball regular season has arrived. Tennessee Tech enters the week with four matches on tap with a two-match set on the road at Little Rock on Thursday and Friday, then a two-match set at home next Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Trojans and the Golden Eagles enter tomorrow's matchup with identical 9-5 records in league play with Little Rock holding on to a 14-12 overall record and Tech 12-14.
In the standings, Morehead State (13-1 OVC) continues to hold on to a slim one-match lead over Eastern Illinois (12-2), meaning the Golden Eagles could spoil the Panthers' bid to host the conference tournament. Southern Indiana (10-4) still has an outside shot of playing tournament host.
Southeast Missouri (8-6), SIUE (7-9) and Lindenwood (6-8) would all be in the tournament if the season ended today, while Western Illinois (4-10) is on the outside looking in. UT Martin (1-13) and Tennessee State (0-16) can not make the field of eight with just four matches remaining.
The Golden Eagles are right there with Morehead State for the league's best road team this season – both squads posting a 7-3 record away from their friendly confines. Little Rock is tied for sixth in home wins this season with four, joining Tech and Lindenwood.
After a five-match losing skid, Little Rock is starting to find its footing once more. The Trojans dropped a pair at Southern Indiana, two at home to Eastern Illinois, then split with Morehead State at home – falling 3-1 in the first match, then sweeping Morehead State – the only loss the Eagles have had in league play this season.
Offensively, the Trojans are led by Bella Cherry, who's brought the hammer down for 313 kills. Crismeyli Rodriguez has 240, while A'lanae Margaritha has 210. Little Rock has three players with triple-digit assists as Dariana Valencia leads with 564, Kaylee Smith has 448 and Andrea Roman has 107.
On the defensive side, Roman has the most digs with 510, while Cherry (277), Rodriguez (256), Valencia (250) and Smith (212) all have over 200. Jaycee Kennedy leads the team on blocks with 101, while Margaritha has 81.
Tech, meanwhile, has won its last three matches and five of its last six as the Golden Eagles look to continue their stride entering the OVC tournament. After taking both matches against UT Martin, Southern Indiana stunned Tech at home with a 3-0 defeat. Then, the Golden Eagles have won three straight, topping SIUE 3-1 and 3-0, then putting the Screaming Eagles on notice with a 3-1 victory in Evansville.
For the season, Bella Powell leads the Tech offense with 336 kills, while Alayna Pierce has 190, Tuva Falk 144, Jordan Milhouse 133, Audrey Berkebile 122 and Ava Schubert 117. Jordan Karlen is approaching 1,000 assists on the season as she has 931 – an average of 9.7 per set.
On the defensive side, MK Roberts leads the squad with 300 digs, while Powell and Karlen each have 255. Falk has a team-best 56 blocks, while Milhouse has 52 and Powell 37.
Photo | Jim Dillon
