By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
MARTIN, Tenn. – Four different University of Tennessee at Martin players delivered double-digit kills Friday evening as the Skyhawks soared to a four-set victory over Southern Indiana in Ohio Valley Conference volleyball action.
Logan Wallick (match-high 15 kills), Karen Scanlon (13), Angel Baylark (11) and Mia Saenz (career-best 10) combined for 82 percent of UT Martin’s kills tonight. Baylark hit .346 with only one error while Wallick (.375) and Saenz (.346) were also very efficient as the Skyhawks hit .255 as a team. Haeleigh Paulino (25) and Addy Vaughn (14) combined for 39 assists for UT Martin, who improved to 11-8 overall and 5-1 in OVC play.
Dylan Mott compiled a match-high 24 digs and a pair of service aces while Scanlon and Paulino each narrowly missed double-doubles with nine digs apiece. Saenz swatted away four blocks at the net as the Skyhawks limited the Screaming Eagles to a .134 hitting percentage.
Saenz got UT Martin started on the right foot with back-to-back kills to open the match. Southern Indiana took a 7-6 advantage before a 4-0 run gave the Skyhawks the lead for good. UT Martin later tacked on a pair of separate 6-1 runs as Wallick powered through for three kills down the stretch. A service ace by Mott provided the clinching point, capping off a stanza where the sophomore from Hendersonville, Tenn. accumulated nine digs. Scanlon also had five kills in six swings in the opening set to pace the Skyhawks.
Once again, it was Saenz who got off to a quick start in the second set as the freshman from Lexington, Ky. had two kills during a 4-2 UT Martin spurt. Baylark provided three kills and a block assist in the span of a dozen points before another Mott service ace extended the Skyhawk lead out to 19-14. Scanlon collected two straight kills before a rally killer from Baylark gave UT Martin a 2-0 edge in the match. Scanlon and Baylark shared the team lead with four kills each in the second set.
The third stanza featured nine tie scores and six lead changes as Southern Indiana evaded a sweep. Kills from Wallick and Saenz helped the Skyhawks race out to a 3-1 lead but the Screaming Eagles accounted for eight of the next nine points. Southern Indiana eventually held a 16-11 lead but UT Martin responded with an 8-2 run, taking a 19-8 lead thanks in large part to three consecutive kills out of Baylark. Wallick managed a pair of kills before a Scanlon kill gave the Skyhawks match point at 24-23 but the Screaming Eagles unreeled three unanswered points to force a fourth set. Wallick, Scanlon, Baylark and Saenz all had four kills each in the third set while Mott came away with nine digs.
For a brief period of time, it appeared as if the match may be extended even further after Southern Indiana claimed a 10-5 advantage in the fourth stanza. However, UT Martin concluded the match on a 20-8 surge – which included five kills from Wallick. The Skyhawks nabbed their first lead of the set at 15-14 and cruised from there as Kambree Lucas generated a kill on match point. Wallick had nine kills on five attacks in the final set.
MARTIN, Tenn. – Karen Scanlon became only the 10th player in University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball history to dial up 1,000 career kills as the Skyhawks upended Southern Indiana in three sets (25-21, 27-25, 25-10) Saturday afternoon.
A graduate student from Scottsdale, Ariz., Scanlon achieved her milestone towards the end of the first set. She became the first UT Martin player since Emily Keaton (2011-14) to secure 1,000 career kills.
Logan Wallick led the Skyhawks in kills for the fourth time in the last five matches today, piling up a match-high 13 kills on a .310 hitting percentage. Angel Baylark added nine kills on a .571 attack percentage while Scanlon and Mia Saenz each provided eight kills apiece. Haeleigh Paulino and Addy Vaughn split duties at setter, dishing out 16 and 14 assists, respectively.
Defensively, Dylan Mott scooped up a match-high 16 digs while Kambree Lucas chipped in 10 digs. Saenz paced all players with six blocks while UT Martin also held an 8-0 edge in service aces.
The Skyhawks (12-8, 6-1 Ohio Valley Conference) were in complete control from the onset as the lead only changed hands once during the entire match. A pair of Wallick kills early on provided UT Martin with a 4-1 advantage. Scanlon then caught fire – slamming down four kills in the span of 10 points to put her on the verge of history. The Screaming Eagles pulled within one point at 21-20 but Scanlon’s 1,000th career kill helped spur a set-ending 3-0 run, capped off with a Kayla Carrell service ace. Scanlon’s five kills led the way for the Skyhawks in the opening stanza.
The duo of Saenz and Wallick played a big role in UT Martin’s quick start in the second set – each producing a kill and a block assist which led to a 3-0 Skyhawk lead. Paulino was responsible for back-to-back kills and soon landed a pair of aces on consecutive serves to stretch the UT Martin advantage out to 16-11. Baylark found empty space for a pair of kills as the Skyhawks closed in on another win with set point at 24-19. However, Southern Indiana unreeled a 5-0 run to even the score before a pair of Saenz kills helped UT Martin claim the set. Baylark had five kills on seven attempts for a sizzling .714 attack percentage in the middle set.
The Skyhawks used a 10-0 run during the third set to close out any chance of a Screaming Eagle victory. Lucas went on a personal 3-0 run (kill, back-to-back service aces) to make the score 8-5 in favor of UT Martin before the aforementioned 10 unanswered points. Wallick chalked up four kills and Mott had two service aces during the run to help put the match out of reach. Saenz tacked on a pair of kills in the latter stages of the set to help the Skyhawks complete the sweep. Wallick (five) and Saenz (four) joined forces for nine of UT Martin’s 12 kills while Mott and Lucas both recorded six digs each.
A three-match road swing awaits the Skyhawks next week. UT Martin will travel to Tennessee State on Tuesday, Oct. 11 before a newly announced change in the schedule. The Skyhawks will now play a doubleheader at Eastern Illinois on Friday, Oct. 14, beginning at 11 a.m. The backend of the doubleheader from Charleston, Ill. will start 90 minutes after the conclusion of the first match.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information