By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball program made short work of its opposition Friday on the opening day of the Skyhawk Invitational, sweeping the likes of Alabama A&M (25-9, 25-18, 25-23) Friday morning before a 25-20, 25-12, 25-21 triumph over Western Illinois tonight.
UT Martin improved to 4-2 on the season after an impeccable offensive performance today as the Skyhawks hit a combined .309 with 14.67 kills per set on the day. Not to be outdone, UT Martin’s defense limited the opposition to a .118 hitting percentage – averaging 17.0 digs and 2.0 blocks per set.
Karen Scanlon led the way for the Skyhawks with 23 kills (3.83 per set) on a red-hot .422 hitting percentage. She was also one of three UT Martin players to tally four service aces on the day, joining Haeleigh Paulino and Dylan Mott.
True freshman Kayla Bryant piled up 16 kills (2.67 per set) on a .351 attack percentage while Paulino (6.33 assists per set) and Hannah Haislip (4.50 assists per set) kept the Skyhawk offense running smoothly.
Mott made plays all over the court today, accumulating a remarkable 36 digs (6.0 per set). Angel Baylark added seven blocks (1.17 per set) to help guide UT Martin defensively.
The Skyhawks wrap up their two-day tournament tomorrow against Arkansas State, who also went 2-0 today. UT Martin will collide against the Red Wolves at 1:30 p.m., following the 11 a.m. matchup between Western Illinois and Alabama A&M.
Alabama A&M
The Skyhawks began their day with a commanding first-set win and never looked back, tallying their sixth consecutive victory over the Bulldogs.
The first set featured a 15-0 UT Martin run, setting the tone for the match. A pair of Kambree Lucas kills bookended five straight Skyhawk points but the score was soon knotted at 6-all. That’s when UT Martin went off for its surge of 15 unanswered points as Scanlon managed two kills and two block assists during the run. Scanlon tacked on two more kills out of the final three Skyhawk points as UT Martin hit .367 (15 kills, four errors) in 30 attempts during the set. Mott was responsible for nearly half (nine) of the Skyhawks’ 20 digs in the opening set.
UT Martin used another late push to claim the second set, scoring nine of the final 12 points. Five different Skyhawks (Baylark, Scanlon, Paulino, Mia Saenz, Lucas) accounted for UT Martin’s first five kills of the second stanza. Bryant got in on the action with a pair of kills midway through the set as the Skyhawks maintained a tight 16-15 advantage. Kills from Saenz, Scanlon and Lucas on consecutive possessions immediately followed, keying the aforementioned 9-3 run. Haislip assisted on seven of UT Martin’s 12 kills as the Skyhawks hit .286 in the second set.
The third stanza started with a 10-3 UT Martin run as the true freshman duo of Bryant and Saenz each pitched in two kills apiece. A Ryan Rednour service ace and Olivia O’Keefe kill nudged the Skyhawk advantage out to 15-7 but the Bulldogs continued to battle, eventually pulling within two points at 18-16. After UT Martin stretched its lead back out to 22-18, Alabama A&M evened the score at 23-all but kills from Bryant and Scanlon ended any threat and provided the Skyhawks with their first sweep of the young 2022 campaign. Scanlon and Mott guided UT Martin with five kills and seven digs, respectively.
Western Illinois
Scanlon’s second double-double of the season (12 kills on a .458 hitting percentage, 13 digs) and a sizzling offensive performance was the story in the nightcap as the Skyhawks rolled to their second sweep in a six-hour span.
UT Martin was nearly flawless on the offensive end in the opening set, committing just one miscue in 32 swings as part of a .469 attack percentage. A kill from Addy Vaughn sealed an 11-4 Skyhawk run and forced the Leathernecks to call a timeout. Paulino provided a pair of kills during a four-point stretch that extended UT Martin’s lead out to 18-10 before a powerful Wallick kill nudged the Skyhawk advantage to set point at 24-15. Western Illinois scored the next five points but a Baylark kill put the finishing touches on the set and gave UT Martin the 1-0 edge. Bryant came away with a team-best four kills while Mott scooped up a team-high six digs in the first stanza.
The Skyhawks sided out at an unfathomable 84 percent rate in the second set, converting on 11 of those 13 opportunities. UT Martin scored seven of the first nine points before Scanlon quickly got going, reeling off three kills in the span of four points early on. A Saenz service ace pushed the Skyhawk lead out to 14-5 and a pair of Wallick kills soon opened up a double-digit lead (21-9) for UT Martin going away. The offense remained a key ingredient of the Skyhawk success as UT Martin hit .405 (17 kills against only two errors) in 37 tries. Scanlon was a monster in the second set with team-highs of six kills and five digs.
A service ace from Paulino gave the Skyhawks a 4-0 lead in the final stanza but the Leathernecks dialed up seven of the next nine points. There were 11 tie scores and eight lead changes in the third set alone but UT Martin ended strong with an 8-3 run, creating some separation courtesy of a stingy defense that was the headlining factor. Mott paced the Skyhawks with six digs while Haislip and Scanlon also added four scoops apiece. Western Illinois hit .000 in 40 attempts and was stymied by Baylark’s three blocks in the final stanza.
Arkansas State
A slow start cost the University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball team Saturday afternoon as the squad fell in four sets to Arkansas State (17-25, 25-27, 25-20, 23-25) in the de facto Skyhawk Invitational championship match.
Both teams entered the day with unblemished 2-0 records in the tournament and delivered an entertaining match which featured 35 tie scores and 14 lead changes. UT Martin (4-3) discovered its offensive rhythm in the third set – collecting only five total attack errors from that point forward – but the Red Wolves (5-1) managed to hang on for the win.
Karen Scanlon topped the Skyhawks in kills for the third consecutive match today, tallying 15 rally killers on a .294 hitting percentage. The graduate from Scottsdale, Ariz. also added eight digs and three blocks. Haeleigh Paulino (team-high 21 assists) and Kayla Bryant (career-best three service aces) also guided along the UT Martin offensive attack. Defensively, Dylan Mott corralled a team-high 13 digs while Angel Baylark rejected six blocks at the net.
Following the match, Scanlon and Baylark were each named to the Skyhawk Invitational all-tournament team. Scanlon accounted for 38 digs (3.80 per set) on a .367 hitting percentage with 26 digs (2.60 per set) while Baylark accumulated 13 blocks (1.30 per set), a .310 attack percentage and 20 kills (2.0 per set). The UT Martin duo was joined on the all-tournament squad by Arkansas State’s Kyla Wiersema (Most Valuable Player), Arkansas State’s Macey Putt, Arkansas State’s Ilayda Dincer, Western Illinois’ Brittany Wulf and Alabama A&M’s Keyara Brooks.
Scanlon had three kills through the Skyhawks’ first eight points of the match. She later added two more kills to her tally, flipping a one-point deficit into a 16-14 UT Martin advantage. The Red Wolves then used an extended run to steal the opening set, scoring eight straight points as part of an 11-1 surge which led to a 1-0 Skyhawk deficit in the match. Scanlon’s five kills were nearly half of UT Martin’s total (11).
The Skyhawks were in prime position to even the match after securing set point in the second stanza but Arkansas State tallied the final three points of the set. Bryant got UT Martin off to a good start as back-to-back service aces from the freshman out of Louisville, Ky. gave the Skyhawks the early edge. The Red Wolves eventually led by a 14-11 margin but UT Martin responded with a 6-1 lead to reclaim the advantage. Continuing with the back-and-forth theme of the set, Arkansas State answered with five of the next six points but the Skyhawks stormed back to lead 25-24 following a Mott service ace. However, Arkansas State managed to score three consecutive points. Wallick’s four kills led UT Martin in the second stanza.
The lead never changed hands in the third set as the Skyhawks began the stanza on a 6-0 run. Paulino landed a pair of service aces to help UT Martin get started on the right foot. Another Bryant service ace doubled up the Red Wolves at 12-6. The freshman duo of Bryant and Mia Saenz joined forces for three straight points (kill and an assisted block apiece) to make the score 19-15 in favor of the Skyhawks but Arkansas State came back with a 4-0 surge to tie the score. UT Martin answered with six of the final seven points, capped off by a block assist from Baylark and Addy Vaughn on set point. The Skyhawks hit .423 with only one error in 26 attacks in the third set while Baylark accumulated three blocks.
The remainder of the match was tight throughout as UT Martin fought to extend the match into a deciding fifth set. Baylark got the Skyhawks on the scoreboard with back-to-back kills before Scanlon took over, compiling UT Martin’s next four kills. The Skyhawks led 13-11 until the Red Wolves went on a 7-1 run, eventually claiming a five-point lead. UT Martin pulled back within a single point on four different occasions but could not break through. Scanlon had seven kills with only one error in 12 swings while Mott scooped seven digs in the final stanza.
The Skyhawks head to their third nonconference tournament of the 2022 campaign next weekend, traveling to Murfreesboro, Tenn. for the Blue Raider Invitational. UT Martin takes on Belmont and Grambling State on Friday, Sept. 9 before playing tournament host Middle Tennessee on Saturday, Sept. 10
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information