By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin racked up a plethora of Ohio Valley Conference beach volleyball postseason awards as nine different Skyhawks brought home hardware on the eve of the league championship tournament.
Dylan Mott was the most frequent recipient as the Hendersonville, Tenn. native earned OVC Freshman of the Year honors as well as a spot on the All-Freshman squad and All-OVC first team. She becomes the first UT Martin representative to be spotlighted as the OVC’s best rookie.
Karen Scanlon joined Mott on the All-OVC first team while Haeleigh Paulino, Logan Wallick, Kambree Lucas, Hannah Phillips, Kayla Carrell and Addison Conley each earned a spot on the All-OVC second team. Addy Vaughn became the ninth Skyhawk honoree to notch OVC postseason honors as she was named to the league’s All-Freshman squad.
Standing at 5-7, Mott was an imposing presence for all opponents in 2022. She exclusively partnered with Scanlon at the No. 1 position in the UT Martin lineup, tallying a 15-7 overall record and a 5-3 mark in league play. Mott pieced together a trio of three-plus match winning streaks, including a season-best five straight victories from March 26 through April 2.
Scanlon claimed All-OVC status for the second time in her beach volleyball career, following up on a second team mention in 2021. Joining forces with Mott through the entirety of the spring, the senior from Scottsdale, Ariz. had a hand in two OVC Pair of the Week honors (March 29 and April 5) in 2022.
A Peoria, Ariz. native, Paulino additionally becomes a two-time All-OVC honoree after she generated first team accolades last year. The junior boasted a 16-6 overall record and 7-1 tally against league opposition while playing at No. 3 alongside partners Wallick (13-5, 4-1 OVC) and Lucas (3-1, 3-0 OVC). She was responsible for three different stretches of at least three wins in a row, including a seven-match unbeaten streak with Wallick at her side from March 23 to April 1.
Wallick backed up her 2021 All-OVC first team season from a year ago with another remarkable campaign this spring. The redshirt senior out of Waddell, Ariz. amassed a 14-8 record in 2022, taking five of eight decisions against OVC rivals. Bouncing between the No. 2 and No. 3 positions, she joined forces with fellow All-OVC teammates Paulino and Phillips during the season.
A sophomore who hails from Brazil, Ind., Lucas maintained a 13-9 overall record and a 6-2 mark in OVC action this spring. She linked up with All-OVC honorees Phillips (10-8, 3-2 OVC) and Paulino (3-1, 3-0 OVC) at the No. 2 and No. 3 spots in the lineup, unreeling a five-match winning streak from March 23 to March 26.
Phillips sported an 11-11 record and 4-4 mark against OVC squads in 2022, often matching up against some of the best talent the opposition had to offer. She competed exclusively at the No. 2 position as the graduate out of Orient, Ohio partnered with All-OVC teammates Lucas (18 matches) and Wallick (four matches).
Carrell took the league by storm alongside her season-long partner Conley, going off for a 21-1 overall record and an unblemished 8-0 tally in OVC play. Exclusively competing out of the No. 4 position, the junior from Pensacola, Fla. currently owns an 11-match winning streak (after winning her first 10 decisions of 2022). Today’s announcement is the second All-OVC accolade for Carrell (also winning second team honors last spring).
A senior from London, Ohio, Conley shattered the school’s single-season record for individual head-to-head victories alongside Carrell out of the No. 4 slot. Conley’s 22-1 record and perfect 8-0 mark against conference foes garnered attention around the league as she was voted as one-half of the OVC Pair of the Week on two separate occasions (April 19, April 26).
One year after redshirting during the abbreviated 2021 campaign, Vaughn blossomed into an integral role for the Skyhawks this spring. The St. Henry, Ohio native collected a 12-8 overall record out of the No. 5 slot in the lineup, including four wins in seven tries against OVC squads. She partnered with Brooke Kuball in 16 matches (winning her first five decisions of the season) while also teaming up with Audrey Haworth on four different occasions.
These nine postseason honorees helped UT Martin clinch a portion of its first-ever OVC beach volleyball championship. The Skyhawks now head to Morehead, Ky. as the No. 1 seed in the 2022 OVC Championship tournament, which runs from Thursday, April 28 through Saturday, April 30.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information