By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Haeleigh Paulino piled up her 14th double-double of the season for the University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball team today but the Skyhawks fell in three sets to Ohio Valley Conference foe Austin Peay (24-26, 25-27, 22-25).
A junior setter who hails from Peoria, Ariz., Paulino came away with 20 assists and 12 digs today for UT Martin, who is now 13-16 with a 9-7 OVC record. She was joined in double figures in the digs column by Dylan Mott (team-high 15 scoops) and Kayla Carrell (10) while Olivia Saunders rejected a team-best five blocks for the Skyhawks.
Offensively, Karen Scanlon registered a team-high nine kills with no errors in 24 swings for a .375 attack percentage. Logan Wallick and Addy Vaughn also helped pace UT Martin with eight kills and 10 assists, respectively.
Despite the sweep, the match was competitive throughout as there were 26 tie scores and seven lead changes. A pair of early kills from Addison Conley in the opening set resulted in a 6-4 Skyhawk advantage. Back-to-back kills out of Saunders and Wallick resulted in a 12-9 UT Martin lead but the Governors (19-9, 12-3 OVC) charged back to even the score at 18-all. Wallick and Vaughn were in charge of the next three points (kill and block assist apiece) to make the score 21-18 but Austin Peay scored eight of the next 11 points to go on top by a 1-0 margin. Wallick and Conley both tallied four kills in the opening set to top the Skyhawks.
UT Martin led for most of the second set – which included 13 ties – before the Governors seized momentum. Wallick, Francela Ulate and Vaughn each had two kills apiece to help the Skyhawks go ahead 9-6. Soon thereafter, kills by Paulino, Saunders and Conley on three consecutive possessions extended UT Martin’s lead to 15-10. Austin Peay used an 8-1 run to take a quick lead but the Skyhawks nabbed a 23-22 lead after Scanlon (three kills, one block assist) played a large part in a 6-3 run. UT Martin eventually had set point but the Governors accounted for four of the last five points of the stanza. The Skyhawks were led by Scanlon (five kills), Mott (eight digs) and Paulino (nine assists, five digs) in the second set.
In the third set, UT Martin led by as many as seven points but Austin Peay staged a comeback to deny the Skyhawks an opportunity to extend the match. Kambree Lucas was the story of the third set as the freshman out of Brazil, Ind. spurred a 12-5 start behind three early kills. She soon added a kill and service ace on back-to-back possessions but the Governors eventually were able to take a 20-17 lead. Behind two more kills out of Lucas, UT Martin battled back to knot the score at 22-all but Austin Peay struck for the final three points of the match. Lucas managed team-highs of seven points, six kills and five digs for the Skyhawks in the final stanza.
UT Martin returns home next weekend for the final two matches of the 2021 regular season. The Skyhawks will host OVC rival Tennessee State on Nov. 12-13 with Senior Night ceremonies taking place before the 6 p.m. series finale on Saturday.
Graphic Courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information