By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
TROY, Ala. – History was made at Trojan Arena this evening as the University of Tennessee at Martin secured the first volleyball postseason win in school history with a dominant 3-0 victory (25-21, 25-23, 27-25) at Troy.
Making their first appearance in the postseason since the 2002 NCAA Tournament, the Skyhawks rolled to the win behind a complete team effort. UT Martin hit .276 for the match while outblocking the host Trojans by a 7-2 margin.
Karen Scanlon had 12 kills to pace the squad for the 17th time this season while Logan Wallick eclipsed double figures in the kill column with 10 rally killers. Haeleigh Paulino and Addy Vaughn each distributed 17 kills apiece to keep the offensive momentum flowing throughout the night.
Dylan Mott was stellar for the Skyhawks as the libero out of Hendersonville, Tenn. registered a match-high 18 digs. Mia Saenz rejected a match-best four blocks at the net while Angel Baylark pitched in three blocks for UT Martin, who earned its 23rd victory of the 2022 campaign (the third-highest total in the school’s NCAA Division I history).
The Skyhawks never trailed in the opening set as Saenz (kill, block assist) had a hand in each of the first two points. Scanlon soon accounted for two kills in a row as UT Martin jetted out to a 11-7 advantage. Troy (18-13) closed to within a single point at 16-15 but two Trojan attack errors and a Scanlon kill pushed the Skyhawk lead back out to four points. Scanlon added another kill and a service ace while Kambree Lucas and Baylark also pitched in late kills to give UT Martin a 1-0 advantage in the match. Scanlon had four kills with no errors in seven swings (.571 hitting percentage) while Mott posted five digs in the opening set.
Scanlon and Paulino each generated kills early on in the middle set but Troy claimed a 7-2 advantage. Scanlon had three points (two kills, one service ace) in a five-point stretch to trim the Skyhawk deficit. Saenz soon collected back-to-back kills before yet another Scanlon rally killer evened the score at 13-all. The Trojans responded with a 5-2 run and maintained a three-point advantage at 21-18 before UT Martin closed out the set with seven of the final nine points. Wallick (three kills) and Baylark (two kills) played a big role in the comeback before a Paulino service ace on set point completed the rally. Scanlon owned five more kills on a .625 attack percentage while Mott (five digs) and Baylark (two blocks) shouldered the load for the Skyhawk defense.
UT Martin staved off a furious Troy attempt to extend the match in the third set to record its 11th sweep of the fall. The Trojans scored the first four points of the third stanza before a pair of Wallick kills gave the Skyhawks some momentum. UT Martin turned a 9-6 deficit into a 13-11 advantage following kills from Lucas, Wallick and Saenz. Another Lucas kill gave the Skyhawks a 20-17 lead but Troy stormed back for a 6-2 run, eventually posting set point twice. Facing a 25-24 deficit, UT Martin reeled off three unanswered points via kills out of Scanlon, Lucas and Baylark to complete the victory. Wallick had six kills on a .462 attack percentage while Mott (eight digs) and Saenz (three blocks) keyed the defense.
The Skyhawks advance to the Round of 16 in the NIVC event and will take on Southern Miss (19-11) tonight at 5 p.m. in Trojan Arena on ESPN+.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information