A difficult start to a collegiate career became the foundation for a record-setting legacy at Tennessee Tech. Through years of hard work, growing confidence and trust in her teammates and coaches, one former Golden Eagle volleyball standout turned early struggles into a career that will be permanently recognized by the program.
Former Tennessee Tech volleyball player Maddie Isringhausen will have her jersey number 20 officially retired during a ceremony this Saturday. Isringhausen, who played for the Golden Eagles from 2020 to 2024, said the recognition carries special meaning because of the impact the university had on her life and career.
“I just could not believe it, I didn’t even know that was a possibility and I was just so grateful and very emotional over it because Tech is so important to me. I would give everything to be there again and they gave me everything I needed to succeed in my career afterwards. Just knowing that they thought of me and are retiring my jersey just means the world to me,” Isringhausen said.
Isringhausen said Tennessee Tech’s coaching staff played a significant role in her development, particularly Head Coach Phillips and Assistant Coach Zach Weinberg. Weinberg spent considerable time studying film and learning how to connect with her, while the program’s welcoming atmosphere helped her envision growing alongside the team.
“I think I would assess it just based off of how things went throughout the years,” Isringhausen said. “A lot of people don’t know this but my freshman year which would have been Covid so we played in the spring was not a great year for me. I didn’t really play, I was never really on the court but I just took that and I knew I didn’t want that to happen again. I put my head down and got to work and you can just see that every single year the numbers kind of went up and my confidence went up. By my fifth year, my final year there I just knew what I was capable of. I trusted in my training and my coaches and just kind of let myself play freely and relied on my teammates to have fun and enjoy what I thought was going to be my last year ever playing volleyball.”
Isringhausen said her production improved throughout her collegiate career after a limited role during her freshman season. She finished her time at Tennessee Tech as the program’s all-time leader in career points while ranking second in kills, attacks and service aces.
“I think that it can show that it’s not where you start it’s where you finish, my freshman year was a little tough and in just like when you look at everything just continue to grow year after year and just never being complacent I think is a big thing for me,” Isringhausen said. “I think that a lot of players reach their goal and then they think ‘Okay I did it, you know and now I just need to stay here’. I think that it can just inspire players now and players to come that every single season you can learn something new and get better at something and then even the year after that you know you can still learn more.”
Isringhausen said her final season in 2024 represented the culmination of her development, as she focused on staying present and trusting the preparation she had put in throughout her career. That season earned her the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year award, followed by the 2024-2025 OVC Female Athlete of the Year honor.
“It means so much to me because I just love Tennessee Tech as a whole, the coaching staff, my teammates, the athletic department, the school as a whole just poured so much into me to help me become the person I am today and help me succeed in playing professionally now,” Isringhausen said. “It means so much because they gave me so much and so I wanted to give everything back to them and this just is a testament to show that all that hard work paid off and that my career there meant something and I think that’s the most important part that I made a difference.”
Isringhausen began playing volleyball at age 16 before choosing Tennessee Tech because of the environment and the opportunity to develop with the program. She has since continued her career at the professional level in the United States.
Isringhausen enters her third season with the Atlanta Vibe and is scheduled to report to the team during the first week of November.