By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
MOREHEAD, Ky. – In a hotly contested Ohio Valley Conference Beach Volleyball Championship final at Fazoli’s Breadstick Beach, the University of Tennessee at Martin punched its ticket into the upcoming NCAA Tournament courtesy of a riveting 3-2 triumph over tournament host Morehead State.
With the win, the Skyhawks (17-8) earn the first OVC beach volleyball title in school history and become the first-ever OVC automatic qualifier in the NCAA Tournament field, as the 2022 event takes place on May 4-8 in Gulf Shores, Ala.
“We are so excited,” UT Martin head coach Jaclynn Wilson said. “It’s been a complete team effort to get to this point. I couldn’t be more proud of the individuals we have in this program and the efforts they showed this weekend on the court. We’re really proud to represent the OVC in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 next week.”
Once again, the Skyhawks displayed their high-quality depth today as UT Martin earned victories at the No. 3 through No. 5 positions in the lineup. The Skyhawks raced out to an early 2-0 advantage behind a dominant Brooke Kuball/Addy Vaughn 21-18, 21-9 victory at No. 5 and a Kayla Carrell/Addison Conley 21-18, 21-18 win at No. 4.
Rather than hang their heads, Morehead State pieced together a ruthless rally – storming back to win the first set in all three matchups in the second wave. After UT Martin’s No. 1 tandem of Karen Scanlon/Logan Wallick barely fell 21-16, 21-18 and the Skyhawks’ No. 2 duo of Dylan Mott/Hannah Phillips were narrowly defeated by a 22-20, 21-14 margin, all eyes were averted to the winner-take-all No. 3 matchup.
UT Martin’s Kambree Lucas/Haeleigh Paulino had already battled back to force a decisive third set but found themselves in a 12-10 deficit. The Skyhawks’ No. 3 pair withstood the pressure and calmly dialed up four unanswered points before the Eagles broke the run with a point of their own. On its second opportunity at match point, UT Martin managed a clean reception off the Morehead State serve and Paulino provided the match-clinching kill, capping off a 14-21, 21-17, 15-13 victory and sending the Skyhawks into a frenzied dogpile on the court.
Following the match, UT Martin landed four players on the OVC All-Tournament team. Carrell/Conley nabbed Tournament Most Valuable Player accolades after going 3-0 in the event and improving their season record to 24-1. Minutes after their victory clinched the OVC title, Lucas/Paulino also earned a spot on the five-team OVC All-Tournament team.
The 2022 NCAA Tournament bracket was revealed this evening and the University of Tennessee at Martin beach volleyball squad learned that it would play USC in the first round on Wednesday, May 4. The match will take place at noon at the Gulf Beach Place facility in Gulf Shores, Ala.
The 2022 NCAA Tournament field expanded to 16 teams this season as the Skyhawks are the first-ever Ohio Valley Conference representative to compete in the event. The first round of the championships will take place on May 4 while the eight teams that advance will compete in a double-elimination, final rounds format starting on May 6 and running through May 8. All games in the tournament will air on the ESPN family of networks.
Earlier in the weekend, UT Martin completed a perfect 3-0 run in the OVC Championship, defeating Morehead State by a 3-2 margin. Previously, the Skyhawks turned away Morehead State (3-2) in the first round on Thursday and Chattanooga (3-2) in the second round on Friday. The No. 4 duo of Kayla Carrell/Addison Conley were named OVC Championship Most Valuable Pair while UT Martin also landed Kambree Lucas/Haeleigh Paulino on the OVC All-Tournament team after they won a third-set tiebreaker to clinch the title.
UT Martin enters the postseason with a 17-8 overall record – seven more wins than its previous season-high for the program that began in 2017. Nine different Skyhawks combined for 11 All-OVC accolades this spring, including OVC Freshman of the Year Dylan Mott.
Four-time national champion USC is currently 32-1 on the season and is coming off a Pac-12 championship on Friday, defeating UCLA in the finals. The Trojans are currently ranked No. 1 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll and boast AVCA All-Americans Tina Graudina, Hailey Harward, Megan Kraft and Sammy Slater. Graudina is only the fourth player in NCAA history be named a first team All-American on four separate occasions and was also the first collegiate player to qualify for an Olympic Games, representing Latvia in the Tokyo Olympics this past summer.
For more information on the 2022 NCAA Tournament, visit the Championship Central link here: https://www.ncaatickets.com/championship/beach-volleyball/champinfo.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information