By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – The All-Ohio Valley Conference volleyball teams were unveiled this evening and the University of Tennessee at Martin boasted two honorees in senior Karen Scanlon (first team) and redshirt junior Olivia Saunders (second team).
For only the fourth time in school history, the Skyhawks landed a pair of All-OVC honorees on both the first and second teams (also occurring in 2000, 2002 and 2018). Scanlon becomes just the seventh UT Martin representative to earn All-OVC first team status while Saunders is the seventh player in school history to achieve All-OVC second team accolades.
A 6-0 middle blocker/opposite hitter, Scanlon has been rock-solid all season long as she is the only Skyhawk to have started all 31 matches and play in all 118 sets. Overall, she ranks ninth in the OVC in blocks (0.94 per set) and 10th in points (3.35 per set) while ranking in the top-10 in blocks (1.03 per set, sixth), points (3.68 per set, eighth) and kills (2.92 per set, ninth) against league opposition. Her 312 kills are the most by any UT Martin player since fellow All-OVC first-teamer Jemima Idemudia in 2017.
Scanlon made history on Oct. 8 when she became the first Skyhawk to amass a triple-double since 2011 (15 kills, 11 digs, career-best 11 blocks against Murray State). She added nine more double-doubles – eight of which came in OVC play – as part of 18 double-digit kill performances. She hit .414 or better on five different occasions, including a season-best .643 (nine kills against zero errors) in 14 swings against Ole Miss on Sept. 10. Her offensive efficiency continued a career trend as her .241 attack percentage ranks 10th all-time in school history.
The Scottsdale, Ariz. native also shined defensively as she racked up 236 digs (2.00 per set) and 111 blocks. Scanlon’s season-high of 24 digs came on Nov. 12 against Tennessee State while she rejected at least five blocks in eight different matches. Her defensive prowess was recognized by the league as she was named the OVC’s Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 11. She also snared all-tournament accolades at the season-opening A-State Invitational on Aug. 27-28.
Saunders made an immediate contribution after transferring to UT Martin from Wake Forest as the 6-2 middle blocker started in each of her 26 matches played. She ranked amongst the league’s best in overall attack percentage (.271, sixth) and OVC-only attack percentage (.336, second). She hit .381 or higher on five separate occasions, including a scalding .706 effort (12 kills, zero errors, 17 attempts) at Belmont on Sept. 25.
Hailing from Ontario, Canada, Saunders reached double figures in the kill column 10 times this fall. Her career-high of 17 kills occurred as part of a .382 performance in the back-half of the SIUE series on Oct. 23.
Saunders turned away at least four blocks in 11 matches, including a career-best eight swats on Oct. 30 against Tennessee Tech. That performance – coupled with seven blocks the day before against the same Golden Eagles squad – led to an OVC Newcomer of the Week accolade on Nov. 1. She also earned hardware early in the season as she was named to the Tiger Brawl all-tournament squad on Sept. 17-18.
The Skyhawks locked up the No. 4 seed in the OVC Championship event and start their quest for a league title today at 3 p.m. against Murray State at Houck Field House in Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information