By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – For the third time during the course of the 2023 campaign, University of Tennessee at Martin representatives have brought home the Ohio Valley Conference Beach Volleyball Pair of the Week honors as today that title belongs to Kambree Lucas and Olivia O’Keefe.
Lucas and O’Keefe previously won OVC Pair of the Week accolades on March 7 while Skyhawk teammates Kayla Bryant and Addy Vaughn also came away with the honor on Feb. 28. Since the OVC started handing out the award in 2020, UT Martin has won nine times out of a possible 18 opportunities.
Playing exclusively out of the No. 2 position during a busy six-match slate last week, Lucas/O’Keefe dominated the competition to the tune of a 6-0 record. That included a perfect 5-0 mark in OVC play as the duo helped the Skyhawks reach their best start to an OVC season (also 5-0) in program history.
In the OVC and home opener against Chattanooga last Tuesday, Lucas/O’Keefe collected a 21-12, 21-16 victory which clinched the team win. Later that day in a nonconference matchup against the same Moc squad but facing a new pair, they earned a 21-13, 21-16 triumph.
UT Martin then traveled to the Beach Weekend at Chattanooga event over the weekend and Lucas/O’Keefe continued to steamroll the competition. They once again sealed the team victory against Morehead State with a 21-12, 21-9 win on Friday morning before a 21-9, 21-9 triumph over Eastern Illinois that afternoon. On Saturday, they joined forces for their third match-clinching win of the week (21-10, 21-8 over Tennessee Tech) before defeating their counterparts from Lindenwood by a 21-12, 21-17 margin.
Overall, Lucas/O’Keefe are 13-5 on the season, which includes a 4-2 mark at the No. 1 spot in the lineup and a 9-3 record out of the No. 2 position.
The Skyhawks head back across the state to Chattanooga this weekend for an appearance in the Scenic City Showdown. UT Martin will face Chattanooga in an OVC match on Friday, March 31 before battling Carson-Newman (March 31), Liberty (April 1) and Eastern Kentucky (April 1).
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information