FRIDAY'S SCORES
Evansville 3,
@Morehead State 1 (25-21, 30-28, 20-25, 25-21)
@Morehead State 3, Cleveland State 2 (22-25, 25-22, 25-21, 20-25, 15-11)
Xavier 3,
SIUE 0 (25-19, 25-14, 25-20)
@Loyola Chicago 3,
SIUE 0 (25-13, 25-18, 20-25, 25-19)
Oral Roberts 3,
UT Martin 2 (23-25, 25-23, 25-16, 15-25, 15-4)
@Southern Illinois 3,
UT Martin 2 (25-27, 25-12, 23-25, 30-28, 15-7)
@Tennessee Tech 3, South Alabama 2 (23-25, 25-18, 29-27, 21-25, 25-8)
Valparaiso 3,
@Tennessee Tech 2 (23-25, 25-23, 23-25, 25-15, 18-16)
@Western Michigan 3,
Southeast Missouri 2 (19-25, 25-19, 21-25, 25-17, 15-12)
Southeast Missouri 3, Purdue Fort Wayne 0 (25-14, 25-22, 25-18)
@Belmont 3, Alcorn State 0 (25-16, 25-14, 25-20)
@Belmont 3, North Alabama 1 (25-17, 26-2, 17-25, 25-20)
Austin Peay 3, Merrimack 0 (25-10, 25-9, 25-16)
Murray State 3, UAPB 0 (25-11, 25-19, 25-22)
AUSTIN PEAY 3, MERRIMACK 0
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Libero Erin Eisenhart scored six service aces in the opening two sets and Austin Peay State University’s volleyball team rolled to a three-set victory (25-10, 25-9, 25-16) against Merrimack, Friday afternoon, in the opening match of the Harvard Invitational at Malkin Athletic Center.
Eisenhart helped Austin Peay (2-2) set the tone for the match in the opening set, scoring three aces as part of a match-opening 8-0 run. She added her fourth as part of a later 5-0 run that help the first set, 25-10. The Govs dominated the second set as well, winning wire-to-wire thanks to five Brooke Moore kills. Austin Peay then largely rested its primary group in the third set and used a 20-kill effort to complete the sweep.
Austin Peay recorded 46 kills and a .452 team attack percentage – the fourth best single-match attack percentage in program history. Moore led the offense with a 10-kill, .769 attack percentage performance in just two sets. Jaida Clark chipped in a 7-kill, .875 attack percentage effort.
Merrimack was held to 17 kills and a .028 team attack percentage. Brooke Leestma led the Warriors with five kills but was charged with six attack errors.
Austin Peay continues its first-ever trip in Massachusetts with matches against host Harvard and Marist, beginning at noon, Saturday.
MURRAY STATE 3, UAPB 0
ST. LOUIS, Mo. - An efficient Racer offense coupled with a strong defensive effort led Murray State (3-1, 0-0 OVC) to a sweep over Arkansas-Pine Bluff (0-4, 0-0 SWAC), 25-11, 25-19, 25-22.
The win was powered by Murray State's .312 attack percentage, led by Brooke Lynn Watts, Darci Metzger and Kolby McClelland who combined for 41 of the Racers' 54 kills.
Watts continues her impressive start to the season with her fourth 20+ kill match, hitting 21 kills on a .269 hitting percentage.
Metzger delivered her most efficient day on the court (.600 hitting clip) with 10 kills and added a solo block. McClelland also put up 10 kills out of the middle.
Senior Emily Matson set a new career high in digs (11) while hitting .417 on seven kills.
Meanwhile setter Bailey DeMier once again paced the Racer offense, finishing with 43 assists, seven digs and three kills.
Defensively, Dahlia Miller and Becca Fernandez led the Racers with Miller tying her previous career high, 17 digs. All players who participated in the match recorded at least one dig in the match.
The Racers return to action in the Billiken Invitational tomorrow at 10 a.m. versus Arkansas State and 7 p.m. against host Saint Louis. The 7 p.m. match versus SLU will be streamed on ESPN+.
EVANVILLE 3, MOREHEAD STATE 1; MOREHEAD STATE 3, CLEVELAND STATE 2
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Morehead State Volleyball graduate student Olivia Lohmeier broke a 31-year old school record by hammering home 39 kills Friday evening as the Eagles upended Cleveland State 3-2 in the second match of the Eagle Challenge, after dropping a 3-1 contest to Evansville to open the day.
Lohmeier's total also tied the Ohio Valley Conference record set in 2000 by Krista Haukap of Southeast Missouri.
MSU sits at 2-3 after the split, the morning match highlighted by a career-high as well as sophomore outside hitter Abby Hulsman slammed in 28 kills. Lohmeier added 18 more terminations in the first match and also recorded double-doubles in both affairs today. Hulsman also notched 19 kills in the nightcap against CSU.
Even more impressive for the Cincinnati native Lohmeier was her .471 hitting efficiency against CSU. She took 68 swings with just seven mistakes and had 11 digs. She scooped 10 attempts against Evansville.
The Eagles' back line and overall defense produced 153 total digs today, including 80 against CSU with five in double digits. Four had 10+ against Evansville.
MSU fell behind 2-0 against UE, dropping the first two 25-21 and 30-28. They rallied to win 25-20 in the third but ultimately fell 25-20 to the 5-0 Purple Aces to seal that match's setback.
Against CSU, the Eagles led throughout the first set but watched it slip away for a 25-22 loss in the opening frame. MSU responded by going ahead 2-1 with 25-22 and 25-21 wins. The Vikings tied it with a 25-20 triumph in the fourth, but Lohmeier's record-setting kill was the final point of the night in a 15-11 set-five win.
Sophomore setter Bridget Bessler also had impressive numbers running the Eagles' attack. She had 67 assists and nine digs against the Vikings and handed out 54 assists while recording her second double-double of the year against the Aces with 12 digs. Junior libero Allison Whitten proved consistent once again with 19 digs in the opener and 17 in the closer.
Defenders Taylor Hodges and Olivia Montelisciani both notched double-digits scoop ups in both both matches as well.
The Eagles close their home tournament Saturday with a 2 p.m. ET matchup with Radford, which fell in both its matches Friday and is 1-4.
BELMONT 3, ALCORN STATE 0; BELMONT 3, NORTH ALABAMA 1
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Belmont University volleyball showed few signs of rust in their season opener on Friday afternoon, cruising to a 3-0 win over Alcorn State in straight sets before picking up a 3-1 victory over North Alabama to begin the Music City Invitational.
The back-to-back wins in the span of just eight hours marks the first time since 2017 that Belmont has won two matches in the same day.
ALCORN STATE RECAP
Belmont won 25-16, 25-14, and 25-20 to get their first victory of the season on Friday afternoon.
Laura Shoopman started the game red-hot, recording six kills on her first six swings to kickstart the Bruins offense. The junior from Salem, Wisc. would go on to finish the match with seven kills, nine digs, and six of Belmont's ten service aces.
The Bruins dominated the net, collecting ten total team blocks to the Lady Braves' four. Taylor Floyd led the offense with eight kills and picked up five block assists as well.
NORTH ALABAMA RECAP
Belmont won 25-17, 26-24, 17-25, and 25-20 in Friday night's clash against North Alabama to get their second straight win.
The Bruins hit .306 in the first set and .317 in the second set, but North Alabama battled back to get on the scoreboard with a win in the third frame. The Bruins bounced right back, however, putting their foot on the gas from the first serve in the fourth set and leading the whole way en route to a 25-20 clincher.
The evening turned on a crucial second set, when after nine ties and three lead changes, the Bruins scraped out a 26-24 win to get a commanding 2-0 set lead.
Shoopman stayed hot from her performance earlier in the day, collecting a team-high 18 kills and 13 digs for the first Bruin double-double of the season.
Ally Peterson and Taylor Floyd also finished with double-digit kills on the night, picking up 12 and 10 respectively.
Rachel McBride led the way on defense, finishing with 17 digs, including a handful of highlight-reel dives that saved Belmont more than a few points. Carly Mason put Bruin attackers in great position all night, tallying 31 assists to go along with 15 digs.
Belmont (2-0) wraps up the Music City Invitational with a home match against Indiana State on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
WESTERN MICHIGAN 3, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 2; SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 3, PURDUE FORT WAYNE 0
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Southeast Missouri women's volleyball (4-1) split its opening day of the Discover Kalamazoo Classic Friday at the University Arena. SEMO lost its first match of the 2021 season, a five-setter (25-19, 19-25, 25-21, 17-25, 12-15) to host Western Michigan (3-1) in the morning before bouncing back and sweeping Purdue Fort Wayne (0-4), 25-14, 25-22, 25-18, in an afternoon contest.
Laney Malloy and Zoey Beasley led the Redhawks over the two matches with 24 total kills each. Malloy is now three kills away from 1,000 in her career.
Claire Ochs, this week's Ohio Valley Conference Setter of the Week, passed out 72 assists while the reigning OVC Defensive Player of the Week Tara Beilsmith hauled in 28 digs Friday.
Western Michigan 3, Southeast Missouri 2
SEMO dropped a 3-2 (25-19, 19-25, 25-21, 17-25, 12-15) decision to Western Michigan to open the 2021 Discover Kalamazoo Classic Friday.
For the Redhawks it was their first loss of the 2021 season after going undefeated en route to the CEFCU Invitational Championship last weekend in Peoria, Illinois.
Beasley registered a career-best 21 kills on a .341 hitting percentage with six digs. Colby Greene added 14 kills on a .367 clip while Malloy posted a double-double of 12 kills and 11 digs.
The Redhawks won the opening set and third set while the Broncos evened the match at 2-2 with wins in the second and fourth frames to force a decisive fifth set.
Western Michigan jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the fifth set. SEMO then pulled ahead 5-4 on a 4-0 run.
Beasley knocked a kill to even the set at 6-6 and start a 3-0 Redhawks rally. She led the Redhawks in the fifth set with three kills followed by Greene who had two.
Malloy and Greene each added rally stoppers to widen the margin to 10-8. WMU responded with a 3-0 run to retake the advantage, 11-10.
A Broncos ball handling error then retied the frame at 12-12.
Western Michigan secured the set win for the match victory with three straight points including a pair of kills from Andelyn Simkins. She concluded the match with 17 kills including four in the final stanza.
SEMO opened the contest Friday with a 25-19 first set win. A Beasley kill tied the frame early at 9-9. The Redhawks pulled ahead 14-10 after a 5-0 run that featured a block assist by Elissa Moylan and Ochs along with an Ochs service ace.
Greene laid down a pair of kills that sandwiched a Broncos error to increase the lead to 17-11.
Malloy placed an ace after a Beasley kill to push the score to 22-16. Malloy then knocked a kill to bring on set point at 24-18. SEMO claimed the stanza on a bad set by the Broncos, 25-19.
The Redhawks hit a stellar .464 in the first set
In the second set, WMU grew its advantage to 18-13 after a kill by Madison Merz. Ochs would cut the deficit to 20-15 after a winner.
SEMO would come as close as 24-19 after a kill by Beasley coupled with a Broncos attack error. Simkins then batted a kill to even the match at 1-1 with a 25-19 second set.
Beasley connected with seven kills in the second frame.
The third set was a back and forth affair with eight ties and five lead changes. Consecutive kills from Moylan and Talia Gouard provided a slight 12-11 edge for SEMO.
Beasley chipped in a kill to make the cushion, 18-15, before a 4-0 run by WMU gave the Broncos a 19-18 advantage.
The Redhawks closed the set on a 7-2 run to claim the frame 25-21. Ally Dion placed an ace after a Greene kill to wrap up the stanza. Greene registered five kills during the frame.
SEMO hit at a rate of .333 in the set.
The Broncos rallied for a strong 25-17 fourth set. WMU utilized an 8-1 run to take an 18-7 edge.
A block by Merz along with a kill by Maggie King pushed the Broncos advantage to 20-10. King added another kill to make the scoreboard read 23-13.
SEMO would add four more points on kills from Malloy (2) and Beasley before a rally stopper by Abi Wilcoxson brought on a fifth set tiebreaker.
Simkins and King combined for 10 kills (five each) in the fourth frame.
Ochs dished out 49 assists with eight digs as the Redhawks concluded the match with a hitting percentage of .242.
Beilsmith paced the defense with 22 digs. Dion chipped in 10.
King led WMU with 20 kills. Logan Case passed out 57 assists as the Broncos finished with a rate of .259. Mairead Boyle tallied 19 digs.
Western Michigan led every category except aces, which SEMO held a 5-3 advantage. Beilsmith, Malloy, Dion, Ochs and Beasley each had a service ace.
WMU out blocked the Redhawks, 7-6.
SEMO 3, Purdue Fort Wayne 0
The Redhawks concluded the opening day of the Discover Kalamazoo Classic Friday with a 3-0 sweep (25-14, 25-22, 25-18) of Purdue Fort Wayne.
Malloy paced the offense with 12 kills and had a career-best matching four service aces.
SEMO commenced the match with an 11-6 advantage courtesy of a Beasley kill and Mastodons error.
The Redhawks distanced themselves from Purdue Fort Wayne, 19-11, with a 4-0 run that featured an ace by Beilsmith and kill by Greene after consecutive Purdue Fort Wayne errors.
SEMO went on another 4-0 rally to bring on set point at 24-13. Malloy had a kill and service ace during the sequence.
Talia Gouard then belted a kill after a Redhawk error to claim the set, 25-14.
SEMO started the second set with an early 11-7 lead that the Dons cut to one on a 4-1 swing.
A 7-1 rally by the Redhawks extended the advantage to 19-12. Malloy hit a kill before an ace to start the spurt.
Addy McAleer then slammed a kill to make it set point at 24-17. The Mastodons fought off set point for five-straight points before a kill from Malloy sealed the set for the Redhawks at 25-22.
Malloy and Greene both had four kills in the middle set.
Purdue Fort Wayne opened the final frame with a 4-0 lead. SEMO responded with a 5-0 rally to take a slight 5-4 advantage.
The Redhawks then tallied a 5-1 run to pull ahead, 16-12. Beasley opened the rally with a kill and Greene finished the sequence with a solo block.
Ally Dion placed an ace to widen the gap to 21-16. Dion led the defense with 10 digs.
Malloy then connected with her fifth kill of the set before two Dons errors made it match point at 24-17.
Gouard sealed the sweep with a rally stopper to finalize the match at 25-18.
Ochs tallied 23 assists with seven digs in the win.
Greene chipped in six kills while Gouard and Beasley each had three.
Beilsmith and Kayla Closset each compiled seven digs.
SEMO led the service ace differential, 8-0, and out blocked Purdue Fort Wayne, 8-2.
Katie Crowe led the Dons offense with nine kills. Madison Gates finished with 18 assists and Rachael Crucis had 14 digs.
SEMO closes the Discover Kalamazoo Classic Saturday against the Big Ten's Indiana. Initial serve is set for 3:30 p.m., CT at the University Arena
ORAL ROBERTS 3, UT MARTIN 2; SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 3, UT MARTIN 2
CARBONDALE, Ill. – The University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball squad gave a valiant effort today at the Saluki Bash but ultimately fell in a pair of five-set decisions against Oral Roberts (25-23, 23-25, 16-25, 25-15, 4-15) and Southern Illinois (27-25, 12-25, 25-23, 28-30, 7-15) at the Banterra Center.
Karen Scanlon tallied team-highs in kills (23), hitting percentage (.268) and blocks (11) today for the Skyhawks while Kambree Lucas boasted a team-best 2.60 kills-per-set average – all coming in the second match of the day. Haeleigh Paulino (double-double of 25 assists, 10 digs against Oral Roberts) and Addy Vaughn (near triple-double of 21 assists, nine digs, eight kills against Southern Illinois) each had standout individual performances at setter.
Baillie Kearns continued her fine play to start the 2021 campaign as the freshman libero out of St. Louis, Mo. scooped a team-high 33 digs on the day, leading UT Martin in that category during both matches. She also contributed a team-best five service aces today.
The Skyhawks have a quick turnaround as they conclude the Saluki Bash tomorrow with an 11 a.m. matchup against Alabama A&M.
Oral Roberts
UT Martin pushed the undefeated Golden Eagles to the limit this morning but Oral Roberts nabbed a five-set win in the tournament opener.
Scanlon helped the Skyhawks overcome an early 4-0 deficit with back-to-back kills before her third kill of the set provided UT Martin with its first advantage (11-10) of the day. An assisted block by Scanlon and Zoe Merriweather extended the Skyhawk lead out to 22-16 and a Francela Ulate service ace gave UT Martin set point at 24-17. The Golden Eagles dialed up six unanswered points but Addison Conley gave the Skyhawks the first set victory with a clutch kill. Scanlon was responsible for four of UT Martin’s 10 kills in the opening set as the Skyhawks sided out at 62 percent (15-of-24).
Merriweather and Paulino posted early kills to guide UT Martin to a 4-2 lead. Scanlon and Ulate sandwiched a 3-0 run with kills that pushed the Skyhawk advantage out to 9-6. Oral Roberts began to build momentum before Scanlon registered three kills in the span of five UT Martin points. The Skyhawks faced set point at 24-19 but responded with a 4-0 run that featured kills from Conley and Olivia Saunders. However, the Golden Eagles tied the match at 1-all following a kill to make the score 25-23. Scanlon hit .429 with team-highs of four kills, three digs and two blocks for UT Martin, who hit .250 (13 kills against six errors in 28 swings) in a set that had 10 ties and three lead changes.
Oral Roberts (5-0) started the third stanza on a 5-1 run. Ulate and Conley both collected kills during the early stages of the set before Saunders caught fire. The 6-2 middle blocker from Ontario, Canada amassed three kills in the span of seven Skyhawk points, igniting a 6-2 surge that pulled UT Martin within six points (21-15). The Golden Eagles recovered to end the set with four of the final five points. Saunders (three kills) and Kearns (four digs) topped the Skyhawks in the third set.
The Skyhawks roared back to claim the fourth set behind a sound performance on both ends (.222 attack percentage to go along with 22 digs). After Oral Roberts scored the first three points of the stanza, a service ace from Ulate capped off a 4-0 run to hand UT Martin a 9-7 advantage. The score was soon knotted at 11-all but the Skyhawks put the set out of reach courtesy of a 10-0 run. Vaughn slammed down back-to-back kills during the spurt before Audrey Haworth clinched the set with a kill and block assist (alongside Saunders). Kearns scooped up six digs while Paulino handed out seven assists in the fourth set.
The fifth and final set was not friendly to UT Martin as the Golden Eagles began on a 7-0 run. Scanlon and Conley willed the Skyhawks within five points after back-to-back kills. Conley chipped in another kill soon thereafter but UT Martin’s deficit was too large to overcome.
Southern Illinois
The Skyhawks came so close to nabbing their first victory of the season but the host Salukis managed to win the final two sets in the nightcap.
UT Martin shook off a slow start in the first set, erasing a 14-9 deficit en route to the win. Lucas started the comeback with three straight kills for the Skyhawks midway through the stanza as UT Martin crept back within striking distance. Ulate managed back-to-back kills that resulted in the Skyhawks’ first lead of the match at 23-22. UT Martin faced set point but a huge kill from Saunders put the Skyhawks in prime position to take the set. Kearns (service ace), Haworth (kill) and Vaughn/Scanlon (assisted block) iced the set with clutch plays down the stretch. Lucas provided a team-best five kills on a .444 hitting percentage while Vaughn almost recorded a double-double (10 assists, seven digs) in the opening set alone.
After UT Martin nabbed an early lead in the second set, Southern Illinois (3-2) used a 13-4 run to help even the match at 1-all. The freshman duo of Vaughn and Lucas combined for three consecutive kills late as the Skyhawks got as close as eight points but the Salukis wrapped up the set on a 5-0 run. Scanlon came away with three of the team’s eight kills in the stanza.
In the third set, UT Martin stormed back from a 22-18 deficit after a 7-1 run to end the stanza. Kearns delivered a service ace to make the score 10-5 in favor of the Skyhawks before UT Martin took a 17-14 lead following a block assist from Saunders and Ulate. Southern Illinois then tacked on five unanswered points and eventually led by as many as four at the aforementioned score of 22-18. Scanlon had a hand in three of the final five points (block assist, solo block, kill) before Lucas powered through for the set-clinching kill. Lucas was responsible for four kills while Scanlon had a remarkable five blocks in the third stanza.
The fourth set had 12 tie scores and seven lead changes as the Skyhawks had four chances at match point but the Salukis staved off elimination. Scanlon had a pair of kills during UT Martin’s 5-2 lead before two straight kills out of Saunders padded the Skyhawk lead out to four. Southern Illinois went on a 4-0 run to take a brief advantage but kills on back-to-back possessions by Lucas and Saunders tilted the score to 24-23 in favor of UT Martin. A back-and-forth affair ensued and after Ulate and Scanlon joined forces for a block assist to make the score 28-27, the Salukis scored three straight points to force a fifth set. Scanlon had six kills with zero errors in 11 swings while Kearns accumulated seven digs in the fourth set.
Playing its 10th set in 11 hours, the Skyhawks ran out of gas in the decisive fifth stanza. Southern Illinois claimed a 3-0 lead before a Paulino kill temporarily halted the Saluki momentum. A Southern Illinois service error pulled UT Martin within two points (5-3) but that was ultimately as close as the Skyhawks would get the rest of the way.
XAVIER 3, SIUE 0; LOYOLA CHICAGO 3, SIUE 1
CHICAGO, Ill. - SIUE volleyball fell twice on Friday at Loyola Chicago's Rambler Invitational, dropping a 3-0 decision to Xavier (19-25, 14-25, 20-25) before falling in four sets to host Loyola Chicago in the nightcap (13-25, 18-25, 25-20, 19-25).
Match 1 - SIUE vs. Xavier
SIUE would play in the opening tournament match for the second consecutive weekend, this time hoping for a different result against a strong Xavier squad; however, the Musketeers overwhelmed the Cougars in straight sets, holding the Cougars to a hitting percentage of .113 and just one total team block. True freshman Ainsley Ranstead continued to show her quality on the outside, leading the Cougars with nine kills and registering six digs. Jessica Vineyard led SIUE in hitting percentage with a .364 clip (5-1-11).
Match 2 - SIUE at Loyola Chicago
The Cougars' second match of the day would see SIUE face off against host Loyola Chicago, and the Cougars began to find their footing and return to form as a formidable defensive juggernaut. Annie Ellis led the way with an impressive six block assists, joined at the top by Vineyard's three solo blocks. In total, SIUE outblocked the Ramblers, 9-6.
The first and second sets were near mirrors of each other - the Cougars and Ramblers would trade blows through the opening moments before Loyola Chicago would mount a lengthy scoring run that would seal the set in favor of the hosts; however, this would not be the case in the third set, as SIUE stormed ahead early and never looked back to claim their first set win of the tournament. The good times would not last, as the hosts narrowly edged the Cougars in the fourth set to claim the match.
The Cougars will close out the Rambler Challenge on Saturday afternoon, when SIUE will face Eastern Kentucky. First serve is scheduled for noon tomorrow and live stats will be available.
TENNESSEE TECH 3, SOUTH ALABAMA 2; VALPARAISO 3, TENNESSEE TECH 2
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - It was an ultra-competitive opening day of the Golden Eagle Invitational for the Tennessee Tech volleyball team Friday. The purple and gold split a pair of five-set matches in its annual home tournament, claiming a 3-2 (23-25, 25-18, 29-27, 21-25, 15-8) victory over South Alabama in morning action. The Golden Eagles dropped a heartbreaker to Valparaiso in evening competition, falling to the Beacons 3-2 (23-25, 25-23, 23-25, 25-15, 18-16).
South Alabama took the first set of the tournament, edging the Tech squad 25-23 behind 13 kills and a .290 hitting percentage. The Golden Eagle defense responded by holding the Jaguars below .155 each of the next four sets and with just one more game of double-digit kills.
The purple and gold answered with a 25-18 win in set two and then went off to the tune of 19 kills in a thrilling, 29-27 victory in the third set. The Jags squared things up with another 13 kills to sneak by the home squad 25-21 in the fourth, but it was all Tech in the fifth. The Golden Eagles hit a robust .368 with seven kills and no attack errors, while forcing seven miscues on the attack by USA to win 15-8.
In the match, Tech racked up a whopping 67 kills, the team's highest output in a match since piling up 71 at Eastern Illinois on Oct. 18, 2019. The defense also registered 12 total blocks.
Junior Taylor Dorsey produced a staggering stat line in the morning match, compiling a season-high 19 kills with five blocks. The middle blocker also hit a monstrous .452 to lead the way for her squad. Right side Morgan Gish finished just one kill shy of her career-high mark, chipping in 12 with five digs.
Returning freshman Madolyn Isringhausen delivered her first career double-double, turning in top career marks of 16 kills and 16 digs to help lead Tech to victory. Setter Ashley Hand was dominant in distribution, posting her second-highest career total with 55 helpers in the match. The senior also locked down a double-double with 10 digs while assisting on four blocks.
Tech's evening tilt with Valpo was a true slobber knocker from start to finish, with the Golden Eagles kicking things off with a 25-23 first set win with 14 kills and a .300 hitting percentage. The Beacons answered in the second set, edging the purple and gold 25-23 with 18 kills.
The Cookeville crew jumped right back out on top in the match, again producing a 25-23 score in the third set behind 16 kills. A run of Tech attack errors in the fourth set allowed Valpo to even things at 2-2, with a 25-15 win. In the fifth and final set, the Beacons squeaked by the Golden Eagles in a wild, 18-16 finish that featured 11 ties and five lead changes.
For the second straight match, the purple and gold launched 67 kills at its opponent, equaling the effort from earlier in the morning. The Golden Eagles also collected 11 more total blocks.
Several more career marks were met in the evening contest for a number of Tech players. Isringhausen erupted for another career-high with 22 kills against the Beacons, the most by a Golden Eagle since Ali Verzani turned in 23 on Sept. 28, 2019 against Southeast Missouri. She also managed seven digs.
Hand again dished out 55 assists while totaling 14 digs for her second double-double of the day. She littered the scoresheet with three kills, two service aces, and five total blocks as well. Returning freshman McKenna Young was all over the place defensively, racking up 25 digs.
Senior Lauren Toledo obliterated her previous career mark for digs, turning 16 while tying her career record of three service aces. Gish rolled out 12 more kills in the second match, adding four blocks to the mix. Madeline Furtado delivered 11 kills while Dorsey posted nine with six blocks.
Tech will wrap up action in the Golden Eagle Invitational with a 2:00 p.m. CT match-up against UNC Asheville in the Hooper Eblen Center Saturday afternoon.