GOLDEN EAGLE 2012 OUTLOOK
2012 Preseason Ohio Valley Conference Coaches/SID Poll 1. Morehead State......... 242 (22) 2. Belmont................................. 198 3. Southeast Missouri......192 (2) 4. UT Martin.............................. 167 5. Tennessee State.................. 130 6. Eastern Kentucky............... 117 7. SIUE......................................... 109 8. Murray State........................ 105 t9. Austin Peay......................... 100 t9. Eastern Illinois................... 100 11. Jacksonville State...............83 12. Tennessee Tech.............41
2012 Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference Team Nikki Doyle*................................Austin Peay Ashley Edmond*............Eastern Kentucky Ellie Roberson*................. Morehead State Caitlin Clark*...................... Morehead State Emily Coon*.................Southeast Missouri Erika Moss*........................Tennessee State Kasey Elswick*.............................. UT Martin Laura McDermott............ Morehead State Aryn Bohannon................ Morehead State Emily Franklin...................... Eastern Illinois Kelsey Augustine.................................... SIUE Julie Shives...................Southeast Missouri Alison Berens....................... Eastern Illinois Leslie Schellhaas............Moorehead State *- All-OVC in 2011
Golden Eagles fly under the radar Seven: the number of starters returning to the court for the 2012 volleyball season. Twelve is the numver of letterwinners returning to the Tech squad. 30 is the number of matches the Golden Eagles played last season but this season it will take only 16 matches to get to the OVC Tournament. Not many teams in the OVC can match the number of returners, or starters, yet in the Preseason poll, TTU filled the 12th spot. “That’s right where we want to be,” said head coach John Blair. With the OVC having little expectations for the Golden Eagles, the team is not gathering a ton of attention from opponents, but in his 10th season at Tech, Blair is preparing his team for what some say is unthinkable - an OVC Tournament Championship and a berth to the NCAA Championship. “There is enough talent on this team that if they play to their potential, this team can compete for an OVC championship. This year we not only have depth, we have experience within that depth. It’s a good setup for this team, it’s just a matter of what we do with it.”
own fate.” The following three tournaments, Xavier, Western Kentuckt and Samford will prepare the Golden Eagles for the OVC. The teams they will face will be tough, but the Eagles have the potential to go set-for-set with some of the most respected programs in the country. “It will be a tougher task. All of the teams we face are very successful programs. It will be an early test to see what we will look like against OVC opponents. It will give us an idea of what we can do. If we play the way we are capable of playing, we will be able to go point for point with a lot of teams. It’s a matter of what point does our consistency break down, or does it break down. At what point does athleticism kick in, and the level of competition reach a point of refusing to lose. “ OVC Play Belmont has been added to the OVC, and with the addition comes with a new bracket and format of the conference. . This season the OVC will break down into two regions, expanding tournament play to the top eight teams (from six in previous years). The winners of each division get automatic berths into the conference championship, while the seeding will be determined by winning percentage.
Non-Conference Schedule Tech will kick off the season with four tournaments this year, The opneing tournament will be at UT Chattanooga. The regional competition will be vital to jumpstarting the season.
“UTC is only 100 miles from here so we have a pretty good history of playing UTC. We’re excited for the opportunity to compete. The team is ready to play. They realize they have some things to work on, but they’re ready. It’s a great opportunity for us to be successful early. If we go and we compete and execute, when we do that now in practice, we look pretty good. If we play consistent, we’ll give ourselves a chance to be successful. We’re playing new teams, teams we’ve never seen before, but if we execute, we’ll control our
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Purple Pride . Tennessee Tech Volleyball
Senior Kelsey Gray