EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – On the heels of a dramatic five-set triumph yesterday afternoon, the Louisiana Tech volleyball team showed no signs of letup, earning a 3-1 (25-22, 25-19, 23-25, 25-20) road victory over the host SIUE Cougars on Saturday afternoon at the Cougar Classic.
 
The impressive win marked LA Tech's (5-9) first true road triumph of the year, and also gave the team its first winning streak of 2018. Tech has now won three of its last four matches, and will turn its attention to Conference USA action when North Texas visits Ruston on Friday.
 
"We played strong volleyball all weekend," head coach Adriano de Souza remarked. "I am very proud of how well our team is working together and creating their game. Everyone involved in all these matches improved their game, both on and off the ball, which is helping us generate more kills and to be more effective defensively."
 
"Kaitlyn Adams was definitely a highlight this weekend. She was aggressive and intelligent throughout all the matches. Her performance is one that will be stamped in our record books. Maddy Davis and Marie Verlinden have also been great contributors in our middle offense and middle blocking – giving us great opportunities to keep possession when we need it most."
 
Both Tech and SIUE (0-11) came out attacking in the first set, as the frame saw a total of 15 ties and four lead changes. In fact, the opening set was so tight, that neither team held a lead of more than one until SIUE took a 15-13 advantage midway through the frame. The Cougars extended that lead to as large as four at 17-13, but Tech methodically chipped away, and with the score tied at 22, took the final three points to stake an early 1-0 lead.
 
Junior Madeline Davis established her presence in the second set, driving home six kills and pacing Tech to a 25-19 triumph. With the set even at 15, Kaitlyn Adams drove home a kill to give Tech the lead for good en route to a 2-0 match lead.
 
The winless Cougars battled back in the third frame, and narrowly escaped with a 25-23 victory to avoid the possibility of a sweep.
 
However, Tech recovered nicely from the stumble in the third set, and closed out the match with poise, holding the Cougars to a 0.51 hitting percentage in the final frame.
 
Adams continued her strong play in the tournament finale, once again leading the offense with 17 kills. For the weekend, she posted a team-best 57 kills (4.75 k/s) while hitting .338 from the field.
 
Davis continued her efficient hitting (.650), and notched 14 kills while committing just one attacking error. Abigail Hildenbrand once again set up Tech's hitters nicely, dishing out 41 assists along with a pair of service aces. Carter Mirich joined Davis and Adams in the 10+-kill club with 10 of her own, along with eight digs. Freshman Jordyn Carswell chipped in seven kills along with 19 of Tech's 67 digs, while Alyssa Zucco stayed consistent with a team-high 23 digs from the libero spot.
 
All-tournament honors for the weekend will be announced at the conclusion of tonight's remaining matches between the rest of the teams in the Cougar Classic.
 
Trending in a positive direction, Tech will return to action on Friday, September 21, opening up a stretch of four consecutive matches at home. The Lady Techsters begin conference play against North Texas on Friday at 7 p.m. followed by Middle Tennessee on Sunday at 1 p.m.