SIUE women's volleyball team rolls to three-game sweep over Tennessee Tech

EDWARDSVILLE – A three-set sweep for SIUE volleyball Saturday over Tennessee Tech extends the Cougars' winning streak to eight matches.

SIUE overpowered Tennessee Tech 25-21, 25-14, 25-15 at the Vadalabene Center to improve its season record to 18-4 overall and 8-2 in the Ohio Valley Conference. Tennessee Tech dropped to 3-19 overall and 1-9 in the OVC.

The Cougars turned in their most efficient offensive performance of the season, hitting a crisp .396 against the Golden Eagles with 48 kills, right attack errors and 96 total attacks.

"Last night, we had a few more hitters struggling with a few more errors than usual," said SIUE Acting Head Coach Kendall Paulus. "To see them come back tonight, see the court well and put the ball where they wanted it helped get some confidence back."

Jackie Scott led the Cougars with 13 kills and finished with a .426 hitting percentage.

Ashley Witt, who received a volleyball during pre-match ceremonies to commemorate her 1,000^th career kill earlier this season, was dominant at the net with 12 kills, no errors and 17 attacks for a .706 hitting percentage. The Cougar senior also added four blocks.

"Ashley Witt had a nice match," said Paulus. "Her blocking and attacking were both good."

Taylor Houck led Tennessee Tech with nine kills. The Golden Eagles hit .206 as a team.

SIUE's strength also allowed for key substitutions during the match. Carley Ramich, who had two kills and a block, saw her first action of the season after battling back from a preseason injury.

"Carley has been working so hard to get back on the court, and the opportunity presented itself," said Paulus. "She came in and did a nice job."

Freshman Gabby Wimes also appeared in the third set.

"We thought she would be able to come in and help on the block," said Paulus. "We've been looking for her to sub off the bench so I wanted her to get in a few opportunities to touch the ball to get her comfortable in case we need her in a tighter situation."

The Cougars continue this five-match homestand next Friday and Saturday with return matches against Murray State and Austin Peay.

More like this:

Print Version