By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – The University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball team battled throughout against Murray State during this afternoon’s Ohio Valley Conference Championship quarterfinals but the Skyhawks fell in three sets (21-25, 29-31, 24-26) at Houck Field House.
Today’s match featured 19 tie scores and 12 lead changes but the No. 4 seed UT Martin could not close out the Racers. The Skyhawks conclude the 2021 campaign with a 15-17 overall record as their 11-7 mark in OVC play was the program’s highest winning percentage (.611) since 2002.
Haeleigh Paulino had quite a match today for UT Martin, posting her 16th double-double of the season (21 assists, 10 digs) to go along with six service aces. Her serving performance came one ace shy of the program’s all-time record for a three-set match (seven by Joanne Jerrick against Tennessee State on Sept. 26, 1992).
Offensively, Logan Wallick unreeled a team-best 14 kills on a .429 hitting percentage while Karen Scanlon added 12 kills on a .357 attack percentage. Addy Vaughn distributed 13 assists as the Skyhawk offense hit .227 as a team.
Baillie Kearns scooped up a team-high 12 kills for the Skyhawks while Olivia Saunders turned away a match-best four blocks at the net.
An Addison Conley kill and a block assist from Saunders and Scanlon helped UT Martin take an early 4-3 lead in the opening stanza. After a 6-1 run gave the Racers (18-11) a 9-5 advantage, the Skyhawks crept back within two points following a Wallick kill that made the score 12-10. Murray State answered with five consecutive points but UT Martin shaved its deficit to 22-20 after a service ace by Paulino. However, the Racers scored three of the final four points of the set to take a 1-0 lead. Wallick (four kills), Scanlon (four kills) and Mott (five digs) recorded team-highs in their respective statistical categories for the Skyhawks.
UT Martin posted the first four points of the second set as Scanlon (two kills), Zoe Merriweather (kill) and Paulino (service ace) got the Skyhawks off to a quick start. A Conley kill soon thereafter pushed UT Martin’s lead out to 8-2. Murray State didn’t take its first lead of the set until 16-15 but the Skyhawks dialed up an 8-4 surge to go ahead 23-20 following back-to-back service aces from Paulino’s right hand. The Racers then scored four unanswered points but UT Martin was still in good shape with set point at 25-24. Three more ties took place before Murray State came away with the win, taking a 2-0 match lead in the process. Scanlon’s five kills, Paulino’s three service aces and Kearns’ five digs each ranked as team-highs for the Skyhawks.
Just like the second set, UT Martin couldn’t have asked for a better start as two more Paulino service aces capped off a 6-0 Skyhawk lead. Mott soon tacked on two service aces of her own in the span of three points, nudging UT Martin’s lead out to 14-9. Back-to-back kills from Wallick and another Scanlon rally killer extended the Skyhawk advantage out to 17-13 but the Racers tallied six unanswered points to briefly go ahead. Wallick then caught fire, slamming down three straight kills to put the finishing touches on a 7-3 UT Martin run that gave the Skyhawks a set point opportunity (24-22). However, Murray State pieced together four consecutive points to end the match. Wallick struck for six kills and Kearns had five digs out of the libero spot to top UT Martin in the third set.
Graphic Courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information