Feature Photo by Rusty Miller
Story by Willie Phaler
Middle Tennessee (11-13, 7-5) swept Louisiana Tech (6-19,0-12) in a two-game conference showdown this week.
On Thursday night the Blue Raiders defeated the Bulldogs 3-1.
MTSU opened up the match with a victory, winning by a score of 25-21.
Kiera Booth shined for the Blue Raiders in the first set with five kills, highlighted by a high-flying spike assisted by Andi Spies.
“I think Andi [Spies] did a really good job at finding me on the slide and we were really connecting well early,” Booth said.
The second set belonged to La Tech, winning 25-20. The two teams traded points from one to 12, but Louisiana Tech took the lead at 13-12 and maintained it for the rest of the set.
The set victory ended a four-game drought for La Tech, as the Bulldogs hadn’t won a set since Oct. 9 against Sam Houston. The Bulldog’s bench showed a load of energy late in the second set, as they coasted to a long-awaited set victory.
The Blue Raiders stormed back in the third set, overcoming La Tech 25-15. An eight-to-one run fueled Middle Tennessee towards the back end of the set. Adri Rhoda showed out for MTSU with three kills, including a destructive spike off her right hand to secure the set.
“We just needed to play faster and have more communication and energy,” Spies said of the second set adjustments. “Once we picked that up, everything came together.”
Middle Tennessee continued its winning ways to secure the match in the fourth set, defeating the Bulldogs 25-15. The set started off with a bang for the Blue Raiders as Booth teamed up with fellow graduate student Brooke Springer for a huge block against La Tech. A nine-to-two run in favor of MTSU followed the highlight play, en route to a ten-point set win.
Thursday’s game marked a career night for Spies with 55 assists, good enough for the most by a Conference USA player this season.
“I feel really good about that, but I honestly had no idea about it,” Spies said of the feat. “It is a really cool accomplishment.”
Friday afternoon, the two squads met for the second and final game of the series.
Middle Tennessee started off strong once again, winning the first set 25-23.
Rhoda highlighted the first set with a leaping spike, reaching 1,000 kills in her collegiate career.
“To reach this milestone is really nice and I am grateful that it happened,” Rhoda said of the achievement. “It means a lot and it is really exciting.”
La Tech flipped the script of the first set, winning 25-23. The set was tightly contested, with ties at 20, 21 and 22. The Bulldogs mustered a late 3-1 run leading to the victory.
Middle Tennessee regained control in the third set, dominating La Tech 25-16. The Blue Raiders took an early lead and extended it to as many as ten points.
Emma Nilson put an exclamation mark on the set, with a powerful block against La Tech’s Jailen Hurley to push the Blue Raiders to set point.
MTSU closed out the series in the fourth set, defeating LA Tech 25-17. A run of six straight scores fueled Middle Tennessee, giving them a 14-11 advantage. After gaining the lead, the Blue Raiders never relinquished it.
Springer stood out for Middle Tennessee on Friday, with a season-high nine kills along with four blocks and a service ace.
“I needed to be aggressive, and I had a little bit of attitude and energy to me tonight,” Springer said of her performance.
The sweep of La Tech extends Middle Tennessee’s home winning streak to seven games, which is something the Blue Raiders take pride in.
“If you are coming to our home court, you should expect to lose,” Springer said.
The series sweep pushes MTSU to 7-5 in conference play maintaining their seventh place standing in C-USA, with the conference tournament just under a month away.
Willie Phaler is a contributing writer for MTSU Sidelines
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