By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – The Ohio Valley Conference unveiled its 2022 volleyball postseason honorees Wednesday evening and the University of Tennessee at Martin accounted for three awards. Graduates Logan Wallick and Karen Scanlon each nabbed a spot on the All-OVC first team while Jaclynn Wilson was named OVC Coach of the Year.
Tonight’s announcement marks the fifth time in school history (first since 2011) that a pair of Skyhawk teammates were named to the All-OVC first team. Wallick is the first player in school history to be named to both the All-OVC first and second teams in a career while Scanlon becomes only the fifth UT Martin player to rack up multiple All-OVC first team mentions. Meanwhile, Wilson becomes the third different Skyhawk representative to earn OVC Coach of the Year status, joining Chris Rushing (2000, 2002) and Darrin McClure (2011).
Wallick, who previously was an All-OVC second team performer in 2019, was an offensive force throughout the season. The 6-0 outside hitter registered team-highs in attack percentage (.289, fourth-best in the OVC) and kills (3.24 per set, sixth in the OVC and ninth-best in program history) while also ranking eighth in the league with 3.49 points per set. Against conference opponents, she upped those numbers to a .293 hitting percentage, 3.43 kills per set and 3.69 points per set.
The Waddell, Ariz. native topped UT Martin in kills on 13 separate occasions this fall, including a remarkable seven-match streak from Oct. 7 through Oct. 22. Overall, she slammed down double-digit kills in 18 of her 27 matches, including a season-best 21 kills at Little Rock on Sept. 24. She hit .300 or better 14 different times, including three notable performances against Grambling State (.591, 14 kills, one error in 22 swings on Sept. 9), Morehead State (.531, 17 kills, no miscues in 32 attempts on Nov. 4) and Lindenwood (.500, 14 kills, one error in 26 tries on Oct. 22). She was named OVC Offensive Player of the Week twice (Oct. 10 and Nov. 7).
Wallick reached the 1,000 career kill club on Senior Day against Morehead State on Nov. 4. She now ranks seventh all-time in kills per set (2.83) and eighth in career kills (1,023).
A 6-0 middle blocker/opposite side hitter, Scanlon was borderline unstoppable during a dominant 2022 campaign. She paced the Skyhawks in kills (346, ninth-most in school history and ninth in the OVC with 2.98 per set) and points (3.52 per set, seventh in the OVC) while hitting .252 and ranking second on the team with 264 digs (2.28 per set). She led the squad in kills in 14 different matches and managed 10 double-doubles – eight of which came in OVC play. In conference matches, she posted 3.06 kills, 2.62 digs and 0.80 blocks per set.
Scanlon reached double-digit kills 21 times in 31 opportunities this fall, including a career-best 19 rally killers against IUPUI on Aug. 26. She brought home OVC Offensive Player of the Week accolades on Sept. 5 and hit a season-high .517 (17 kills, two errors, 29 swings in four sets) five days later at Middle Tennessee. She scooped up a season-high 18 digs in the Aug. 26 season opener against Radford and also rejected 80 blocks – including 13 matches of three or more swats.
Hailing from Scottsdale, Ariz., Scanlon joined the 1,000 kill plateau on Oct. 8 against Southern Indiana. She currently ranks in the top-eight in school history in kills (1,135, fourth) and attack percentage (.245, eighth) and is only six blocks shy of cracking the all-time top-10 in that category as well.
Wilson wins her first career OVC Coach of the Year award and third overall conference Coach of the Year honor (also winning at Columbus State Community College in 2013 and 2014). The Plain City, Ohio native engineered a historic campaign in her eighth season at the helm of the Skyhawk program, directing UT Martin to its third OVC regular season championship in school history and first since 2002.
The Skyhawks notched 21 wins (fourth 20-plus win season in school history) and went 15-3 against league opponents, equaling the school record for most OVC victories in a single season. UT Martin rattled off an eight-match winning streak from Oct. 14 through Nov. 11 – the program’s longest since 2006 – clinching the regular season championship with the final victory during that stretch. The Skyhawks began the season 4-0 in OVC play and sat atop the standings for all but approximately 3.5 hours on Oct. 14 (trailing by only a half-game following the frontend of a doubleheader).
The 2022 season continued UT Martin’s upward ascent under Wilson. Starting in 2017, the Skyhawks’ OVC victories have increased in each season during Wilson’s tenure (five in 2017, seven in 2018, nine in 2019, 11 in 2021 and 15 in 2022) with the exception of the abbreviated 2020-21 spring season.
UT Martin seized the No. 1 seed in the OVC Championship tournament and will play No. 8 seeded SIUE on tonight at 6 p.m. inside Skyhawk Fieldhouse.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information