Volleyball Opens OVC Play With Home Series Against Tennessee Tech

Tennessee Tech (5-6, 0-0 OVC) at SIUE (3-8, 0-0 OVC)
Dates: September 24-25, 2021
First Serve: 6 p.m. (Friday); 2 p.m. (Saturday)
Location: First Community Arena, SIUE
All-Time Series: Tennessee Tech leads 6-4

WHERE WE'RE AT: SIUE volleyball currently sits at 3-8 with wins over Purdue Fort Wayne (Aug. 27), Eastern Kentucky (Sep. 4), and Western Illinois (Sep. 18).

THE TASK AT HAND: This weekend marks the first of Ohio Valley Conference play, as the Cougars welcome the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles to the friendly confines of First Community Arena. TTU holds a 6-4 edge in the all-time series, with the Golden Eagles claiming the most recent meeting on Oct. 19, 2019 (L, 1-3). SIUE holds a 3-2 record all-time against TTU in Edwardsville.

LAST TIME OUT: The Cougars played at home for the first time this season last weekend, dropping their home opener to Valparaiso (L, 0-3) before closing out the non-conference slate with a three-set sweep over Western Illinois. Three players notched team season bests in SIUE's win over the Leathernecks
(Treichel, 16 K; Drifka, 35 D; Kijowski, 19 A).

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES: Tennessee Tech enters the weekend at 5-6. The Cougars and Golden Eagles share one common opponent - Valparaiso. SIUE fell to the Beacons on Sep. 17 (L, 0-3), while TTU fell in a five-setter on Sep. 3. Tennessee Tech was selected to finish fifth in the OVC and are led by Preseason All-OVC middle blocker Taylor Dorsey.

IRON SHARPENS IRON: Following one of the most challenging non-conference slates in program history which saw the Cougars face off against five FBS-level programs, SIUE enters OVC play ready to replicate their success from a year ago.

SPRING RECAP: SIUE volleyball put together one of the most successful campaigns in program history last spring, compiling the third-highest conference winning percentage in the program's Division I era (.714) and earning one of just four spots in the 2020-21 Ohio Valley Conference Volleyball Championship. The season also saw four different Cougars earn All-OVC honors, including an All-OVC Second Team nod for redshirt sophomore middle blocker Savannah Christian.