By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
MARTIN, Tenn. – For the first time in almost exactly a decade, a University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball player accumulated a triple-double as Karen Scanlon enjoyed a career night in a 3-2 Skyhawk victory (20-25, 25-21, 25-20, 15-25, 15-8) over Murray State Friday evening.
A senior out of Scottsdale, Ariz., Scanlon tallied a team-high 15 kills, 11 digs and a career-best 11 blocks – dialing up the first UT Martin triple-double since Jenna Miller (10 kills, 42 assists, 18 digs) against Jacksonville State on Oct. 10, 2011. Scanlon also added a .250 hitting percentage and three service aces for good measure as the Skyhawks (9-10 overall) are now tied with Tennessee Tech atop the Ohio Valley Conference standings at 5-1.
Zoe Merriweather put down a career-high 13 kills on a .303 attack percentage, adding five rejections for a UT Martin defense that turned away 17 total blocks. Baillie Kearns snared a team-best 15 digs for her 15th double-digit performance in that category in 2021.
Addy Vaughn (22 assists) and Haeleigh Paulino (20 assists) kept the offense running efficiently as the Skyhawks hit .208 for the evening. UT Martin additionally landed nine service aces tonight, led by four out of Paulino. Francela Ulate (eight kills, .333 hitting percentage, season-high six blocks) also provided a lift off the bench for the Skyhawks as tonight marked the first five-match winning streak for UT Martin since six straight victories from Sept. 30 through Oct. 14, 2011.
The Skyhawks stormed out of the gates, scoring the first six points of the match as Logan Wallick had a kill and a pair of block assists during that stretch. The Racers (8-7, 2-3 OVC) went on a 10-4 run to even the score at 11-all but UT Martin answered right back to nab a 15-12 advantage. The Skyhawk lead remained at three at 17-14 but Murray State concluded the set on an 11-3 run to take the early momentum. Scanlon (four kills) and Kearns (five digs) topped UT Martin in the opening set.
The second stanza featured 13 ties and four lead changes but the Skyhawk offense fired on all cylinders – hitting .500 with zero errors (against 18 kills) in 36 swings. Merriweather slammed down three straight kills at one point early, aiding UT Martin to a 9-7 lead. Six ties followed before the Racers managed to go on top by a 20-18 margin. Coming out of a Skyhawk timeout, Addison Conley had back-to-back kills to ignite a 7-1 run which also included a trio of Merriweather kills and a pair of Scanlon service aces. Merriweather grinded out seven kills with no errors on 10 attempts in the second set.
UT Martin once again got off to a great start in the third set, jumping out to an 11-2 lead which included a pair of service aces from Kearns. Murray State trimmed its deficit down to four (18-14) but Scanlon’s fourth kill of the set helped the Skyhawks push their advantage back out to seven points at 22-15. Wallick was responsible for the final two points of the set as she hammered down a pair of kills to put UT Martin ahead 2-1 in the match. Merriweather came away with four blocks in the third set alone.
With their backs against the wall, the Racers forced a fifth set following a complete effort in the fourth stanza. Murray State led 8-2 but the Skyhawks soon pieced together a 5-2 run that pulled UT Martin within five points midway through the set. Wallick did her best to keep the Skyhawks within striking distance with a pair of late kills but ultimately the Racers accounted for five of the final six points. Scanlon had three kills and two blocks for UT Martin in the fourth set.
A 6-0 Skyhawk run proved to be a huge boost in the decisive fifth set as UT Martin managed four blocks during that surge. Scanlon (one solo block, three block assists) and Ulate (three block assists) formed a wall at the net for the Skyhawks as they took a 7-1 advantage. After Murray State closed the gap to three points at 11-8, UT Martin reeled off four unanswered points, including two service aces from Paulino. The stingy Skyhawk defense limited the Racers to a -.125 attack percentage (three kills, five errors) in 16 swings in the final stanza.
Graphic Courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information