By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – The Ohio Valley Conference released its team and individual preseason beach volleyball rankings today and the University of Tennessee at Martin earned plenty of recognition.
The Skyhawks appeared third in the team poll but garnered the second-most first-place votes (three). Overall, UT Martin’s 23 points narrowly slotted in behind Austin Peay (26 points, three first-place votes) and Morehead State (25 points, four first-place votes).
Individually, a trio of Skyhawks were selected to the OVC preseason top-10 player rankings. Logan Wallick checked in as the league’s No. 2 returner and was joined in the top-six by Karen Scanlon (fourth) and Haeleigh Paulino (sixth). UT Martin’s three representatives in the top-10 are tied with Morehead State for the most in the league.
Wallick and Paulino were both voted to the All-OVC first team a year ago, competing alongside each other for all of the Skyhawks’ 17 matches. The duo went 15-1 overall (13-1 at No. 3, 2-0 at No. 4) with an unblemished 10-0 record against OVC foes. The record-setting tandem won their first 15 decisions to begin the 2021 campaign and racked up OVC All-Tournament honors. They also swept the season OVC Pair of the Week accolades alongside, winning that award on both April 20 and April 27.
Scanlon came away with All-OVC second team accolades in 2021, competing in all 17 matches exclusively out of the No. 2 slot. She went 8-6 overall with a 6-4 mark in OVC play, winning four of the first five matches of the season (spanning April 14-18) while also unreeling a three-match winning streak from April 24-25.
UT Martin opens its fifth season of beach volleyball on March 11-12 when it travels to Clarksville, Tenn. for four matches in the Governors Beach Challenge, hosted by Austin Peay.
Graphic Courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information