By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball team breezed by its opposition Friday, sweeping Belmont (25-20, 25-11, 25-21) and Grambling State (25-12, 25-19, 25-22) in dominant fashion on the first day of the Blue Raider Invitational.
Kambree Lucas paced the Skyhawks today with 17 kills (2.83 per set) while Haeleigh Paulino made sure the offense ran smoothly with 57 assists (9.50 per set) for a squad that registered a blazing .275 hitting percentage. The Skyhawks also generated a whopping 20 service aces (3.33 per set) in the two matches, compared to just three for the opposition.
Defensively, Dylan Mott collected a team-high 22 digs (3.67 per set) while freshman Mia Saenz turned away a team-best nine blocks (1.50 per set) at the net for UT Martin.
Belmont
A barrage of service aces – 13 to be exact – propelled UT Martin to a quick sweep over its former Ohio Valley Conference rival Belmont, giving head coach Jaclynn Wilson her 200th career victory.
A Saenz kill began an early run that gave the Skyhawks a 5-4 lead in the opening set. The Bruins charged back to take an 11-8 advantage but back-to-back kills out of Kayla Bryant and Karen Scanlon equaled the score at 12-all. Belmont accounted for the next four points before a UT Martin timeout. The momentum shifted to the Skyhawks from that point forward as UT Martin ended the stanza on a 13-4 run. Bryant had a pair of service aces to start a stretch of five unanswered points before a pair of Paulino kills bookended a 6-0 run that closed out the set. Paulino was the all-around star of the first stanza, collecting two kills, six assists and three digs.
The second set was all Skyhawks as UT Martin used a 15-1 run early on to set the tone. The Skyhawks landed seven service aces in the middle stanza alone, starting with the opening point from Mott. Paulino added two more aces during a 6-0 UT Martin run before Bryant unleashed three service aces in a separate 9-0 surge as the Skyhawks led by a 16-2 margin. Saenz directed another ace over the net soon thereafter as UT Martin cruised to the 2-0 advantage in the match. Bryant posted three kills (on a .500 hitting percentage) and three service aces in the second set alone as the Skyhawks hit .474 (10 kills against one error) in 19 swings.
Belmont took a 6-3 lead during the opening stages of the third set but UT Martin stormed back for 10 of the next 13 points. Angel Baylark delivered back-to-back kills while the service magic lingered into the third set, resulting in aces from Mott and Saenz. The Bruins made one final run and eventually claimed a 21-20 advantage. However, the Skyhawk deficit was short-lived as UT Martin strung together five unanswered points. Bryant managed a pair of kills before a block assist from Saenz and Scanlon on match point. Bryant stood out in the final set, accumulative five kills on a .444 hitting percentage to go along with a team-best five digs.
Grambling State
Logan Wallick was on fire in the second of the Skyhawks’ back-to-back matches, dialing up 14 kills with just one miscue on 22 swings (.591 attack percentage) against the Lady Tigers.
UT Martin sided out on a remarkable 92 percent (12-for-13) of its opportunities in the opening set, hitting .344 in the process. Baylark got the Skyhawks jumpstarted with two early kills that allowed UT Martin to take a 9-4 advantage. The duo of Wallick and Lucas then took over, quickly putting the set out of reach. Wallick secured three kills in the span of six points before Lucas boomed four kills over a six-point stretch, including three in a row to help the Skyhawks stretch their lead out to 23-9 on the way to the win. Wallick, Lucas and Baylark each had four kills in the first set while Paulino (13 assists) and Mott (eight digs) also performed well.
Wallick fueled the UT Martin engine in the initial stages of the second set as the graduate from Waddell, Ariz. was responsible for four kills in the Skyhawks’ first 11 points. Service aces from Kayla Carrell and Ryan Rednour soon pushed UT Martin’s lead out to 16-12 before another Wallick kill helped the Skyhawks stretch their advantage to six points at 20-14. Scanlon soon came away with a pair of kills in the final portion of the set, aiding UT Martin to a 2-0 lead in the match. Wallick powered through for five kills in six tries (.833 hitting percentage) while Scanlon also notched five kills in the second stanza.
Grambling State threatened in the third set but the Skyhawks completed their second sweep in four hours. Saenz struck for back-to-back service aces while Lucas and Scanlon each had a pair of kills as UT Martin raced out to an 11-4 advantage. The Lady Tigers used a 10-3 run to even the score at 14-14 but the Skyhawks didn’t panic, steadily building their lead back up to match point at 24-19. Grambling State pulled to within two points before a Saenz rally killer put the finishing touches on UT Martin’s highly successful day. Wallick had five kills while Paulino managed 11 assists and Carrell scooped up a team-best five digs in the final set.
Middle Tennessee State
Things started out well for the University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball team Saturday but the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders mounted a comeback as the Skyhawks fell in four sets (25-17, 24-26, 20-25, 19-25).
UT Martin’s offense stayed hot as the Skyhawks hit .252, directed by Haeleigh Paulino’s season-best 40 assists. Karen Scanlon collected 17 kills on a .517 hitting percentage, committing only two errors on 29 swings. Logan Wallick provided 13 kills on a .345 attack percentage while Kambree Lucas tacked on 11 kills and a match-high three service aces.
Dylan Mott scooped up a team-best 13 digs while Mia Saenz rejected a match-high three blocks for UT Martin (6-4).
The Blue Raider Invitational all-tournament team was announced at the conclusion of the match as Paulino and Wallick each earned spots on the seven-member squad. Paulino distributed 97 assists (9.70 per set) with 22 digs and six service aces in three matches while Wallick amassed 27 kills (3.86 per set) on a .451 hitting percentage in a pair of matches.
Four different Skyhawks (Saenz, Scanlon, Lucas, Wallick) accounted for the team’s first four kills of the match. Scanlon piled up three more kills during a 6-0 UT Martin run that resulted in a 13-7 Skyhawk advantage. Lucas soon added a kill and a service ace to help UT Martin stretch its lead out to 18-10. Wallick took over from there, generating three kills in the span of five points on the way to the first-set victory. The Skyhawks hit a remarkable .536 in the opening set, landing 17 kills against just two errors in 28 attempts. Wallick and Scanlon each had five kills apiece.
UT Martin was in prime position to take a 2-0 lead but the Blue Raiders stormed back for a 6-1 run to end the second set. The Skyhawks battled back from a 4-1
deficit to take their first lead at 6-5 thanks to a pair of Angel Baylark kills. Lucas soon rose high for a kill and served up back-to-back aces to nudge UT Martin’s lead out to 16-11. Middle Tennessee responded with four straight points but three consecutive kills from Lucas resulted in a 23-20 Skyhawk advantage. However, the Blue Raiders rallied to force a 1-1 tie in the match. Lucas shined in the second stanza, accumulating five kills and two service aces while Paulino dished out 13 assists.
The score was 5-4 in favor of Middle Tennessee (8-2) to start the third set but the Blue Raiders then scored six unanswered points. UT Martin responded with six of the next eight points, including service aces from Mott and Kayla Carrell. Three straight Skyhawk kills kept UT Martin’s deficit at three but Middle Tennessee came right back with a 7-1 run to go on top by a 23-14 margin. A trio of Wallick kills helped spur a 6-1 Skyhawk surge that closed the gap to 24-20 but the Blue Raiders soon converted set point. Wallick had four kills in five swings in the third set.
Scanlon opened the fourth set with back-to-back kills and later added another rally killer as UT Martin claimed a 10-5 advantage. Middle Tennessee then scored 13 of the next 18 points before another Scanlon kill temporarily halted the Blue Raider momentum and pulled the Skyhawks within a single point at 18-17. Scanlon tacked on her seventh kill of the set to keep the margin at one but Middle Tennessee wrapped up the match with five straight points. Paulino assisted on 10 of UT Martin’s 11 kills in the final stanza.
The Skyhawks conclude the nonconference portion of their schedule next weekend when they travel to Clarksville, Tenn. for the Stacheville Challenge. UT Martin will take on ETSU (10 a.m.) and North Dakota State (4 p.m.) on Friday, Sept. 16 before facing off against tournament host Austin Peay on Saturday, Sept. 17 at 1:30 p.m.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information