By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
TROY, Ala. – The record-setting University of Tennessee at Martin 2022 campaign concluded Friday evening as the Ohio Valley Conference regular season champion Skyhawks fell to Southern Miss in three sets (25-4, 28-26, 25-21) in Round 2 of the National Invitational Volleyball Championship.
UT Martin concludes the 2022 season with a 23-12 overall record, good enough for the third-most single-season victories in the program’s NCAA Division I history (since 1992). The Skyhawks won their third OVC regular season championship (first since 2002), equaled a school record with 15 OVC victories and notched their first postseason win in school history.
“We have a lot to be proud of this season,” UT Martin head coach Jaclynn Wilson said. “We had a tough match tonight – the girls played hard but things just didn’t go our way. This is a really special group, led by our seniors. Those girls came in here and believed in me, believed in the program and believed in the vision when we were at the bottom. I’m so grateful for what they have done for our program. Moving forward, we’re excited for the future of UT Martin volleyball.”
A trio of Skyhawks compiled double-digit digs today, led by Dylan Mott’s 14 scoops. Karen Scanlon collected 12 digs while Kambree Lucas posted 11 digs. Angel Baylark came away with a match-high three blocks (two solo) to help guide the Skyhawks defensively. Scanlon also added a team-high seven kills as the UT Martin offense hit -.009 for the match.
The Skyhawks scored the first point of the match but the Golden Eagles (20-11) scored the next seven points and never looked back. UT Martin got back on the scoreboard after a Southern Miss service error made the score 7-2 but the Golden Eagles capitalized on an 8-0 run to take the early momentum in the match. Scanlon’s five digs led the way for the Skyhawks early on.
UT Martin fought back in the second set, which featured 14 tie scores and nine lead changes. A pair of Scanlon kills guided the Skyhawks out to a 4-2 advantage before a 5-0 UT Martin run – which included back-to-back service aces from Lucas – pushed the lead out to 11-7. Southern Miss accounted for eight of the next 10 points and eventually took a 19-16 advantage but a pair of freshmen helped the Skyhawks chip away. Mia Saenz (kill, service ace) and Kayla Bryant (kill) generated three points in a 4-0 stretch that tilted the score back in favor of UT Martin at 20-19. The Golden Eagles had set point (24-21) but scored four unanswered points – highlighted by a solo block from Baylark and a Logan Wallick kill. After the Skyhawks posted set point at 25-24, Southern Miss scored four of the final five points to go on top by a 2-0 margin. Scanlon (four kills), Lucas (six digs, two service aces) and Mott (six digs) led UT Martin in the second stanza.
Saenz and Scanlon each earned kills for the first two points of the third set. Scanlon, Baylark, Addy Vaughn and Wallick each added kills during a 7-3 Skyhawk run that boosted UT Martin’s lead out to 11-7. Following a Baylark kill that resulted in a 16-13 Skyhawk advantage, the Golden Eagles were responsible for six of the next seven points. A Scanlon rally killer whittled UT Martin’s deficit to 20-19 but Southern Miss scored five of the next six points. Scanlon accumulated team-highs of three kills and six digs in the last set.
Friday night’s result marks the end of the collegiate playing careers for Skyhawk seniors Audrey Haworth, Scanlon and Wallick. Back-to-back All-OVC first teamer Scanlon completes her eligibility ranking in the top-10 in school history in kills (1,188, third), attacks (3,195, fourth), hitting percentage (.246, ninth) and blocks (284, 10th). Two-time All-OVC performer Wallick ends her career ranking seventh in kills per set (2.82), seventh in attacks (2,937) and eighth in kills (1,062).
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information