By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball squad found its rhythm during the second set Friday evening and never looked back, downing the Little Rock Trojans in four sets (22-25, 25-22, 25-15, 25-18) at the Jack Stephens Center.
With tonight’s win, the Skyhawks move to 8-7 overall and improve to 2-0 in Ohio Valley Conference play – marking just the sixth time in program history that UT Martin has tallied victories in its first two OVC matches (also occurring in 2017, 2011, 2002, 1993 and 1992).
Karen Scanlon led the Skyhawks , dialing up a match-high 16 kills on a .467 hitting percentage to go along with 12 digs for her 19th career double-double. Logan Wallick hit .346 and added 13 kills while Haeleigh Paulino (match-high 25 assists, nine digs) came up just shy of a double-double for UT Martin, who hit .294 as a team but hit over .312 in each of the final three sets.
On the defensive end, Dylan Mott’s 14 digs paced a trio of Skyhawks with double-digit totals in that category. Kayla Carrell scooped up 11 digs while Angel Baylark sent back five blocks (three solo) at the net for UT Martin.
Wallick and Mia Saenz each recorded kills during the early stages of the opening set before a 6-1 Little Rock run resulted in a 7-3 Skyhawk deficit. A kill and service ace by Kambree Lucas on back-to-back possessions helped UT Martin snap its skid before four unanswered points pulled the Skyhawks back within a single point at 12-11. Moments later, Scanlon landed a service ace that evened the score at 16-all. UT Martin’s next two points came via Baylark kills but unfortunately, the Trojans ultimately recovered to claim the opening set. The trio of Scanlon, Wallick and Baylark each registered three kills apiece in the for the Skyhawks.
A total of seven tie scores and four lead changes were featured in the second set. Five different UT Martin players (Wallick, Mia Saenz, Scanlon, Lucas, Baylark) accounted for the squad’s first five kills but Little Rock was still able to claim a 10-5 advantage. The Skyhawks came right back with a 9-2 surge, which included a pair of Scanlon kills. Wallick was responsible for a kill that extended UT Martin’s lead out to 21-17 as the graduate from Waddell, Ariz. helped close out the set with two more rally killers from that point forward. The duo of Scanlon and Wallick combined for 10 kills with zero errors in 15 swings.
The Skyhawks pieced together a 7-1 run during the early portion of the third stanza. Wallick, Scanlon and Saenz all had kills on three straight possessions to pad UT Martin’s lead out to 12-8, forcing the Trojans to burn a timeout. Four different Skyhawks (Saenz, Scanlon, Wallick and Lucas) slammed down kills as part of a 6-1 run to help UT Martin create some separation at 18-11. Little Rock would get no closer than five points for the duration of the set as another 6-1 Skyhawk run (featuring a pair of solo blocks from Baylark) wrapped things up, capped off with a kill by Addy Vaughn. Scanlon guided UT Martin in both kills (five) and digs (five) in the third set.
Baylark made sure the Skyhawks got off to a blazing start in the fourth set, providing three kills in the span of four points as UT Martin opened up a 10-4 advantage. The Trojans slowly started to chip away at their deficit and eventually got within one point at 13-12. However, the Skyhawks halted the Little Rock momentum with an 8-2 run, highlighted by two kills apiece out of Wallick and Scanlon. That was more than enough for UT Martin to hang on for the triumph as Baylark, Lucas and Wallick each tacked on kills during the final stages of the match. Baylark posted four kills in six attempts in the final set to help the Skyhawks ice the victory.
For the second straight day, the University of Tennessee at Martin outlasted the Little Rock Trojans as the Skyhawks secured a 3-2 victory (25-23, 18-25, 25-17, 26-28, 15-12) in Ohio Valley Conference volleyball action.
UT Martin completed a perfect run through the week with Saturday’s result, upping its record to 9-7 overall with a 3-0 OVC mark. The Skyhawks are now 3-0 in OVC play for the fifth time in school history and first time since 2017.
Logan Wallick came up with a huge performance for UT Martin, compiling a match-high 21 kills on a sizzling .421 hitting percentage. She committed only five miscues on 38 swings. Angel Baylark generated 11 kills on a .529 attack percentage on 17 swings while adding a match-best seven blocks for the Skyhawks, who hit .232 thanks to an efficient offense guided by Haeleigh Paulino (29 assists) and Addy Vaughn (21 assists).
Karen Scanlon posted a double-double of 10 kills and 13 digs while Kambree Lucas almost came away with her second double-double of the week (nine kills, match-high 18 digs). Dylan Mott added a dozen digs today for UT Martin, who also received a career-best four service aces out of Mia Saenz.
Little Rock took a 6-2 lead to begin the match but back-to-back Wallick kills evened the score at 8-all. The Skyhawks soon reeled off five unanswered points to claim their first lead of the day after two consecutive Saenz service aces made the score 16-13. UT Martin led by as many as four points but the Trojans stormed back to take a 23-22 advantage following a 4-1 run. However, the Skyhawks notched three straight points (Vaughn kill, Paulino service ace, Wallick kill) to earn a 1-0 lead in the match. Wallick’s five kills in nine attacks led the way for UT Martin in the opening set as the Skyhawks collectively hit .263.
Lucas opened the second set with a kill but the momentum soon shifted as Little Rock went on a 7-0 run. After UT Martin closed to within two points, the Trojans scored 11 of the next 17 points. Baylark did her best to bring the Skyhawks back as the sophomore middle blocker from Burlington, Iowa provided a pair of kills and a block assist over a stretch of five points. UT Martin was able to trim its deficit to 21-18 but Little Rock scored the final four points of the set to even the match at 1-all. The trio of Wallick, Scanlon and Baylark each had three kills apiece in the second set for the Skyhawks.
UT Martin led for a majority of the third set, scoring nine of the first 12 points. Scanlon had a pair of service aces and a kill early on to set the tone. The Skyhawks held on to a 15-10 lead before a barrage of five consecutive kills, paced by two apiece out of Vaughn and Lucas to stretch their lead out to double digits (21-11). The Trojans wouldn’t get any closer than six points for the rest of the stanza as a Wallick kill clinched the set for UT Martin, who hit .433 (16 kills, three errors) while siding out at 76 percent for the set. Lucas’ five kills in eight swings topped the Skyhawks.
The fourth set was tight late as the Trojans battled to stay alive. Little Rock scored six of the first seven points and maintained its lead all the way until a Lucas service ace tilted the score back in UT Martin’s favor at 17-16. A trio of Wallick kills up to that point helped the Skyhawks overcome their deficit and threaten to close out the match in four sets. The Trojans bounced back for six unanswered points but back-to-back Wallick kills fueled another UT Martin spurt as the score was knotted at 22-all. Three more ties followed as the Skyhawks fended off set point three times but Little Rock escaped with the win to force a winner-take-all fifth stanza. Despite the setback, Wallick (seven kills) and Lucas (seven digs) each had phenomenal performances for UT Martin.
The Skyhawks came out red-hot in the final set, accounting for the first five points as Wallick contributed a pair of kills. The Trojans then went on a 5-0 run and eventually went ahead by a 10-9 margin. Wallick and Scanlon chipped in back-to-back kills before Little Rock evened the score at 11-all – the seventh tie in the abbreviated set. UT Martin stepped up with several clutch plays from that point forward, nabbing four of the final five points – concluding with a match-clinching kill from Lucas. Wallick had four of the Skyhawks’ 10 kills while Paulino divvied out six assists in the final set.
UT Martin opens a four-match homestand next weekend, coinciding with Homecoming festivities on campus. The Skyhawks will square off against defending league champion Southeast Missouri at 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 30 and again at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 1.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information