Tennessee Tech women’s volleyball team returned from last weekend’s Cowgirl Classic at McNeese State University splitting wins and losses at 2-2. However, they traveled back to campus with right side hitter Cody Dodd as an OVC Offensive Player of the Week.
The 6-foot-4-inch junior wrapped up the weekend in Lake Charles, La. recording 47 kills and 60 points with just 15 errors. Dodd and her squad capped off the four-match invitational with a 3-0 win over the Prairie View Panthers. Dodd finished the match with a 20 kill, 23-point performance, a personal best of the weekend.
“I played really bad during the first game that day [against Louisiana-Monroe],” said Dodd. “I just made it a goal before the second game to go after my kills and blocks and get every single point I could to try and take some pressure off everyone else.”
As a first time winner, the award came as a shock to Dodd.
“I was definitely surprised I won. I had no clue,” said Dodd after learning from head coach Dave Zelenock that she had won the weekly conference honor. “I think it’s a bigger deal than I make it out to be.”
Paying less attention to personal stats and her award from last week, Dodd says her main focus remains winning as a team.
“I’m more focused on the team than myself,” said Dodd. “I try not to worry too much about stats and awards. It just adds more stress.”
Dodd and the Golden Eagles wrap up their week of preparation before traveling to the Carolinas to participate in the Spartanburg Courtyard Classic this weekend. Still in non-conference play, Dodd says she looks forward to the upcoming tournament first before she can even begin thinking about the team’s upcoming OVC matchups.
“Our team just needs to have more drive coming into our tournaments,” said Dodd. “We need to realize we can win and we’re good enough to win. We just have to be focused on each game, one game at a time.”