By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
The opening weekend of the 2022 volleyball season concluded with an exclamation point for the University of Tennessee at Martin as the Skyhawks claimed the Colonel Classic championship following a four-set triumph (22-25, 25-18, 25-22, 25-14) over Eastern Kentucky.
UT Martin (2-1) won for the fourth time in its last five tries against its former Ohio Valley Conference foe, defeating a Colonel squad who swept both IUPUI and Radford yesterday. The Skyhawks used a potent defensive attack to secure today’s victory, stuffing 16 blocks at the net while limiting Eastern Kentucky to a paltry .076 attack percentage.
Leading the way for UT Martin defensively was Angel Baylark (12 blocks) and Dylan Mott (match-high 21 digs). Baylark’s 12 swats are tied for the third-most in school history, trailing only Jemima Idemudia (16 against Murray State on Sept. 29, 2017) and Traci Tisch (15 against Oral Roberts on Oct. 18, 1993).
Kambree Lucas additionally helped guide the Skyhawks on both ends today, providing career-highs of 16 blocks (on a .429 hitting percentage) and seven blocks. She was joined in double figures in the kill column by Logan Wallick (13) and Karen Scanlon (10) while Haeleigh Paulino narrowly missed a double-double with a match-high 27 assists and nine digs.
Following the match, three UT Martin honorees were named to the Colonel Classic all-tournament team. Scanlon brought home Most Valuable Player accolades after generating team-highs in kills (39, 2.79 per set) and service aces (seven) while pitching in 29 digs (2.07 per set). Also earning a spot on the seven-member squad was Mott (team-best 68 digs, 4.86 digs per set average, five service aces) and Paulino (78 assists, 28 digs, five service aces).
The opening set included 12 ties and three lead changes. The Colonels took a 6-3 advantage but a block assist from Addy Vaughn and Mia Saenz evened the score at 6-all. Another assisted block – this time from Scanlon and Baylark – gave the Skyhawks a 14-13 edge but Eastern Kentucky soon opened up a 22-19 lead. Coming out of a timeout, UT Martin received kills from Wallick, Baylark and Lucas to pounce within a single point (23-22) but the Colonels responded with back-to-back points to take the first set. Wallick hit .571 and landed four kills in the opening set to top the Skyhawks.
The momentum shifted midway through the second set as UT Martin withstood a hot start by Eastern Kentucky. The Colonels scored five straight points as part of an 8-2 start to the stanza. The Skyhawks trailed 14-7 before unspooling a remarkable 12 unanswered points. Lucas had a hand in five of those points (three blocks, two kills) as UT Martin flipped its deficit into a 19-14 lead. Eastern Kentucky would not get any closer than three points for the remainder of the set as Saenz delivered a pair of late kills to seal the comeback. As a team, the Skyhawks hit .212 and boasted 10 blocks in the second set, keyed by Lucas’ team-best four kills and four rejections.
Lucas continued her productive day with a pair of kills early in the third set, helping UT Martin find its rhythm. Wallick slammed down a pair of kills during an 8-3 Skyhawk run that nudged UT Martin’s advantage out to 14-11 but the Colonels later scored eight of 10 points during one stretch to take a 22-19 lead. However, the Skyhawks were unfazed – wrapping up the set on a 6-0 run that included two more kills out of Wallick. Paulino dished out five assists and scooped up a team-best five digs to help UT Martin take a 2-1 lead in the match.
The fourth set was a defensive masterpiece for the Skyhawks as Eastern Kentucky hit -.061 (eight kills, 10 errors) in 33 swings. UT Martin went on top by an 8-4 margin after Baylark accounted for her third block assist in the early portion of the stanza. The Colonels closed their gap to two points at 13-11 but the Skyhawks were responsible for 12 of the final 15 points. Baylark managed three blocks (two assisted, one solo) during that surge while Scanlon and Lucas finished things off with two kills apiece over the final four points. Lucas had five kills while Mott recorded 10 digs in the fourth set alone.
UT Martin will now embark on a four-match homestand next week, starting with a Tuesday, Aug. 30 matchup against Southern Illinois at 6 p.m. Over the weekend, the program will host the Skyhawk Invitational with matches against Alabama A&M (Sept. 2), Western Illinois (Sept. 2) and Arkansas State (Sept. 3).
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information