Coach Amy Draper earned her first home win as the Skyhawk volleyball team used a solid performance against Tennessee Tech to snap a nine-game drought in conference play, winning the match, 3-1.

If it hadn’t been for a few miscues early in the first game, the Skyhawks might have swept the match. After dropping game one by a 30-25 score, they turned up the heat and played impressive team volleyball to take control. Teamwork was the aspect of the match that pleased Draper the most.

“Tonight I can truly say it was an entire team that came together to play as one group, and that is how you are going to win games,” she said.

The Skyhawks’ hitting and defense were factors in the victory as they out hit Tech in all four games and held them to negative hitting percentages in each of the final two games. Tech only hit .060 for the match.

The Skyhawks had to overcome some first-game jitters on their way to winning the match. They started well, jumping ahead by as many as five points before errors allowed Tech to climb back into the game and take the lead.

Trailing 15-13, the Skyhawks briefly regained the lead before surrendering it again. They trailed by as many as five points late in the game. Aces by Sarah Jett and Jamie Hollins cut the deficit to two points on separate occasions, but the Skyhawks came up short in the end.

The Skyhawks lost despite leading every statistical category. Freshman outside hitter Randi Wooldridge posted a perfect 1.000 hitting percentage to lead all players. Sophomore middle Kathryn Sprague led all players with five kills in the game.

“In the first game, those five points were complete errors; they weren’t volleyball-related,” Draper said.

After allowing Tech to score first in the second game, the Skyhawks charged into the lead and never looked back. They got early aces from Hollins and junior libero Tammy Konitzer followed by a vicious spike by Wooldridge to stake an 8-3 advantage.

The Skyhawks hit a remarkable .385 for the game and posted 21 kills. Senior outside hitter Rebecca Palmer recorded ten kills in the game, followed closely by Sprague’s nine.

Sophomore setter Shelby Knose became the second Skyhawk to record a perfect hitting percentage on the night as she picked up a kill on her only attack of the game.

Tech was able to cut the lead to two points on two separate occasions but could never get any closer. A late kill by sophomore Dimphy Sasse dashed any hopes of a comeback as the Skyhawks went on to win, 30-27.

The third game saw the Skyhawks overcome a significant deficit to win, something they had been unable to do this season. Tech went on an early 7-0 run and Skyhawk errors on offense helped them push the lead to 15-8.

At that point, there was a huge momentum shift in the favor of the home team as Tech began to struggle with errors. The Skyhawks exploded for an 8-1 run to tie the score at 16-16.

Konitzer then put them ahead for good with a service ace. The Skyhawks controlled the game from that point on, expanding the lead from one to four after aces by Palmer and freshman Morgan Kilpatrick, and eventually to eight points, 29-21.

Wooldridge punctuated the win by spiking the final point to make the score 30-24. Four Skyhawks hit better than .300, led by Sasse’s .389 percentage.

The clinching game was an exercise in total domination for the Skyhawks as they pulled away early and never looked back. An ace by Hollins gave them a 4-2 lead and from there the advantage only grew. It reached double figures at 23-13 after a kill by Jett.

The entire fieldhouse crowd rose and urged the team on through the final few points of the game when victory was apparent. When the game came to an end, the Skyhawks had a 30-17 win that clinched the match, 3-1.

“It feels great,” said a beaming Draper. “Tonight was a culmination of the things we’ve been working on all year. We actually adjusted and executed, and that’s the sign of a maturing team,” she said.

Draper was encouraged by the emergence of qualities she has believed were within her team from the beginning of the season.

“I definitely think tonight was an indicator of the team that we could be on a daily basis if we choose to bring the same game every night. This makes me excited for the future,” she said.

The team returns to action next weekend with home matches against Morehead State on Friday at 7 p.m. and Eastern Kentucky on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Skyhawks’ record stands at 3-25 overall and 1-9 in the Ohio Valley Conference.