By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – The University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball squad won wire-to-wire in its first set Friday night and never looked back, securing a sweep to start its Ohio Valley Conference series at SIUE (25-16, 25-20, 26-24).
The Skyhawks ran their season record to 17-9 and 11-2 in league play after the victory, which was their fourth in a row and seventh in the last eight tries.
Collectively, UT Martin hit .331 tonight – racking up 51 kills against just 10 errors in 124 attempts. The Skyhawks leaned on the veteran duo of Karen Scanlon (16 kills, .378 attack percentage) and Logan Wallick (13 kills, .345 hitting percentage) while Kambree Lucas hit .429 and nearly had a double-double (eight kills, 10 digs). Mia Saenz was also incredibly efficient for UT Martin, posting five kills in only seven swings to go along with a match-high five blocks.
Haeleigh Paulino (20) and Addy Vaughn (12) kept the offense flowing, combining for 32 assists. Dylan Mott came away with a team-high 13 digs to help the Skyhawks win their third consecutive decision over the Cougars.
UT Martin came out swinging, scoring the first four points of the match before a Kayla Carrell service ace extended the Skyhawk lead out to 8-1. Lucas soon added a pair of kills in the span of three points before Scanlon achieved three kills over a four-point stretch. UT Martin led by as many as 12 points (21-9) going away as a Wallick kill capped off the opening set. The Skyhawks had 15 kills as a team in the first stanza, led by Scanlon’s five and Wallick’s four.
The second set featured eight tie scores and five lead changes but UT Martin’s offense remained lethal – putting down 20 kills with only two errors for a .391 attack percentage. SIUE led by a 9-7 margin but Wallick put the team on her back as the graduate out of Waddell, Ariz. rose high for four straight kills at one point. That personal run ignited a 12-2 Skyhawk run, allowing UT Martin to claim a 19-11 advantage after a Saenz service ace. The Cougars wouldn’t get any closer than four points for the remainder of the set. Just as she had done in the first stanza, Wallick provided the set-clinching kill for her fifth rally killer of the set. Scanlon (five kills) and Lucas (four kills, match-high six digs) also played well in the middle set.
The Skyhawks trailed by four points in the latter stages of the third set but eliminated any chance of the match being extended, reeling off seven of the final eight points. SIUE started things off with a 3-1 lead but UT Martin quickly stormed back for a 9-7 advantage. The Cougars accounted nine of the next dozen points and eventually surged ahead by a 23-19 margin. Wallick and Scanlon each joined forces for two kills apiece during a corresponding 5-0 Skyhawk run, resulting in match point. SIUE answered with a kill to even the score at 24-all but UT Martin sealed the win with a Scanlon kill and block assist from Scanlon/Saenz immediately thereafter. Scanlon (six kills), Paulino (10 assists) and Mott (eight digs) each soared to new heights in the final set.
For the second time in as many days, the University of Tennessee at Martin established a season-high attack percentage as the Skyhawks swept the SIUE Cougars (25-19, 25-13, 25-16) in Ohio Valley Conference volleyball action.
UT Martin improved to 18-9 overall and 12-2 in league competition behind another lethal offensive attack today. The Skyhawks hit a sizzling .363 with 43 kills and only six errors in 102 swings – their best single-match mark since a .385 performance against Eastern Kentucky on Oct. 18, 2019 (a span of 86 contests).
The setter duo of Haeleigh Paulino and Addy Vaughn perfectly engineered UT Martin’s offense today, combining for seven kills on a .538 attack percentage and 25 assists. On the day, the Skyhawks sided out at a phenomenal 73.5 percent clip (36-for-49).
Karen Scanlon topped UT Martin in kills (eight), digs (13) and blocks (four) while the tandem of Mia Saenz (.538) and Angel Baylark (.375) each posted seven kills with just one attack error between them. Dylan Mott also reached double digits in the dig column with 10 scoops as the Skyhawk defense limited SIUE to an .037 hitting percentage over the last two sets (.108 overall).
The lead did not change hands over the first two stanzas. Kambree Lucas was a frequent contributor early in the opening set as she had a kill and a pair of service aces over a four-point span. Logan Wallick soon followed with back-to-back kills as UT Martin opened up a 13-6 advantage. Baylark got into a groove with two straight kills off passes from Vaughn down the stretch, helping the Skyhawks build up a 1-0 lead in the match. Lucas’ four points (two kills, two aces) led the way in the opening set while Scanlon had three kills and a match-best seven digs.
Paulino left her mark in the opening stages of the second set, accounting for three of UT Martin’s first five points (two kills and a service ace). The Skyhawks raced out to an 8-1 advantage before a Saenz service ace made the score 11-3 in favor of UT Martin. Scanlon and Saenz joined forces for a block assist to open up a 19-8 lead before Kayla Bryant made sure the Skyhawks ended strong, producing three kills in the span of four points as part of a 6-2 run. Paulino did it all in the middle stanza, generating a stat line of two kills, seven assists, one service ace and four digs.
After a Baylark rally killer provided UT Martin with its first lead of the third set, the Cougars took a 7-5 advantage. From that point forward, the Skyhawks outscored SIUE by a 20-9 margin to complete the sweep. Vaughn was responsible for two kills and three assists in a six-point stretch before Lucas slammed down three kills in the span of five points. The Cougars closed their gap to four points (20-16) before UT Martin went on a 5-0 run as Bryant served up an ace on match point. Lucas registered four kills and five digs in the finale for the Skyhawks.
UT Martin returns home for its last two regular season matches inside Skyhawk Fieldhouse next week. UT Martin will take on Morehead State on Thursday, Nov. 3 before squaring off against the same Eagle squad for Senior Day on Friday, Nov. 4.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information