By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
MARTIN, Tenn. – It was a special Senior Day at Skyhawk Fieldhouse Friday afternoon as Logan Wallick earned her 1,000th career kill to help the University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball squad to its fifth straight sweep, 3-0 over Morehead State (25-17, 25-19, 25-19).
Approximately 90 minutes after she was honored alongside Karen Scanlon, Haeleigh Paulino and Audrey Haworth for a Senior Day ceremony, Wallick put on a dazzling display. The graduate outside hitter out of Waddell, Ariz. amassed 17 kills with zero errors for a .531 hitting percentage. She also provided a team-high three blocks at the net.
The Skyhawks (20-9, 14-2 Ohio Valley Conference) eclipsed the 20-win mark for the first time since 2002 behind a season-high .364 attack percentage. The fifth consecutive sweep equals the school record (set from Nov. 2-16, 2001) while UT Martin’s seven-match winning streak is the program’s longest since the Skyhawks won eight in a row from Sept. 1-16, 2006.
UT Martin’s setter duo performed well as Addy Vaughn had 19 assists, four kills on a .571 hitting percentage and a pair of blocks while Paulino collected 16 assists, five digs and two service aces. Dylan Mott fortified the Skyhawk defense with 18 digs while Angel Baylark hit .429 with seven kills and a pair of blocks.
The lead did not change hands a single time in the opening set as UT Martin scored three of the first four points. Baylark had a pair of kills during an 8-3 run before Mia Saenz accounted for back-to-back points with a kill and service ace. Haworth soon got into the action as the Fishers, Ind. native slammed down back-to-back kills. The Eagles closed to within one point at 17-16 but the Skyhawks ended the set on an 8-1 run, completed with a Paulino service ace. Wallick and Haworth shared the team lead with three kills apiece while Mott scooped up a remarkable nine digs in the first stanza alone.
The second set featured 10 tie scores and four lead changes. Scanlon and Haworth each provided two kills apiece early on as UT Martin snared a 9-6 advantage. Morehead State responded with a 6-1 run to briefly go on top but the Skyhawks answered with 10 of the next 14 points. Shortly after checking in for the first time in the match, Kambree Lucas delivered a spark as the sophomore from Brazil, Ind. skied high for three kills in the span of six points during the run. Like the first set, Paulino clinched the win with a service ace to give UT Martin a 2-0 advantage in the match. Wallick had six kills for a potent Skyhawk offense that hit .459 (18 kills against only one error) in 37 swings.
It was Wallick’s time to shine in the third set as she secured eight kills in the final set on the chase to 1,000. The duo of Scanlon and Baylark joined forces for four straight kills during the initial stages of the set before giving way to the blazing hand of Wallick. After the score was tied at 8-all, Wallick managed three kills over a four-point stretch. But she was just getting started. As UT Martin faced a 16-15 deficit, Wallick went off for four kills in the span of six points – achieving her milestone with the score at 22-17 in favor of the Skyhawks. Fittingly, the three remaining seniors had a hand in the last three points as Scanlon posted a kill and Haworth crushed a kill off a feed from Paulino for match point.
UT Martin wraps up the 2022 regular season looking to clinch the OVC championship next weekend at Tennessee Tech. The Skyhawks and Golden Eagles will collide at 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 11 and at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 12.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information