BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – The Ohio Valley Conference named University of Tennessee at Martin standout Dylan Mott to its Watch List this morning as the Skyhawks were picked second in the league’s predicted order of finish for the 2025 beach volleyball season.
Mott was one of six players on the 2025 OVC Watch List, which was comprised of one student-athlete from each school. A redshirt senior out of Hendersonville, Tenn., Mott is the only three-time All-OVC first team honoree in UT Martin history, impressively accomplishing that feat alongside three separate playing partners. She ranks third all-time with 58 victories as she is the program’s all-time leader with 31 wins out of the No. 1 slot in the lineup while tacking on 27 career victories at No. 2, which ranks second in school history.
The three-time defending OVC regular season champion Skyhawks received two first-place votes in the preseason poll, leading to 41 points. Last season’s OVC Tournament champion Chattanooga was tabbed as the league’s preseason favorite after tallying the remaining 10 first-place votes on the way to 50 points. Lindenwood (34 points), Morehead State (27), Tennessee Tech (18) and Eastern Illinois (10) rounded out the rankings.
UT Martin is coming off a 16-win campaign in 2024, including a sterling 9-1 mark against OVC competition. The Skyhawks return a plethora of All-OVC performers from last spring, including first-teamers Mott (22-6 career record in OVC play), Sydney Eckhardt (21-11 overall, 8-1 in OVC last season) and Ryan Rednour (9-1 against OVC competition in 2025) in addition to two-time All-OVC honorees Olivia O’Keefe (36 career victories, 16-4 in OVC play) and Jenna Vallée (40 career wins, including a 16-4 mark against OVC foes). Reagan McGee also returns following an All-OVC second team and OVC All-Freshman campaign (20-11 record, 9-0 in OVC play) a year ago.
Overall, UT Martin head coach Jaclynn Wilson oversees a roster with nine returners and 10 newcomers as the Skyhawks will look to return to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in the last four seasons.
UT Martin’s season begins next weekend with four matches at the Tiger Beach Challenge in Baton Rouge, La. The Skyhawks will take on South Florida and Southeastern Louisiana on Friday, Feb. 28 before taking on tournament host LSU and Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday, March 1.