By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball squad mission roared to a four-set triumph in the opening match of the winner-take-all series against Tennessee Tech for the right to be called Ohio Valley Conference regular season champions.
When the smoke cleared, the Skyhawks ran their winning streak out to eight matches, picking up the 25-23, 23-25, 25-14, 25-21 victory in front of 1,533 fans. With the win, UT Martin improves to 21-9 overall and equals the school record for OVC victories with 15 (against only two losses). The Skyhawks earned their third OVC regular season championship in school history (first since 2002) and will host the OVC Championship tournament next week, starting on Thursday, Nov. 17 and running through Saturday, Nov. 19.
Defense was crucial this evening as the first-place UT Martin squad needed one win this weekend to clinch the regular season title against a sizzling Tennessee Tech team that entered the match on a 10-match winning streak. The Golden Eagles (16-13, 13-4 OVC) had dropped only two sets in seven OVC home matches this fall but the Skyhawks were up for the challenge, registering 92 digs and 10 blocks. Dylan Mott led the way with 25 digs while Mia Saenz rejected eight blocks at the net for UT Martin.
Karen Scanlon (15 kills, 17 digs, five blocks), Kambree Lucas (10 kills, 16 digs) and Haeleigh Paulino (26 assists, 15 digs) each compiled double-doubles for the Skyhawks tonight. Logan Wallick (14 kills) and Kayla Carrell (12 digs) additionally turned in monster performances in a match that featured 25 tie scores and six lead changes.
Wallick got things started with a kill on the opening possession of the match. Scanlon soon tacked on two kills herself but Tennessee Tech took a 10-6 advantage. Lucas went on a frenzy as the sophomore from Brazil, Ind. put away four kills in the span of six points to even the score at 16-all. After the Golden Eagles went on a 4-0 run and maintained a 22-18 lead, UT Martin unreeled a 7-1 run to end the set, capped off with four straight points from Scanlon (three kills, one block assist). Scanlon had six kills while Mott scooped up nine digs in the first stanza.
The Skyhawks looked determined in the early stages of the second set as a Carrell service ace provided UT Martin with a 6-1 lead. Tennessee Tech responded with seven unanswered points as part of a 15-5 run that left the Skyhawks facing a 16-11 deficit. UT Martin climbed back to take a 20-19 lead as Saenz planted three kills in the span of seven points late. However, the Golden Eagles found a way to tie the match at 1-1. Saenz recorded team-highs of three kills and three blocks in the second set alone.
A relatively slow start was quickly overcome by the Skyhawks in the third set. Trailing by a 6-4 margin, UT Martin used an 8-0 run to double up the host by a 12-6 score. Tennessee Tech scored the next four points but would never get any closer than two points for the remainder of the set as the Skyhawks thwarted a potential Golden Eagle comeback bid. UT Martin accounted for 13 of the final 17 points as Lucas ended strong with three kills in the final seven points – including the set-clincher. Wallick (four kills on a .400 attack percentage) and Addy Vaughn (six assists) guided a Skyhawk offense that hit .263 while Saenz (three blocks) and Scanlon (seven digs) carried the defensive unit.
UT Martin seized the opportunity to end the match in four sets as Scanlon and Angel Baylark teamed up for six kills apiece in the final stanza. The score was knotted at 5-all until the Skyhawks went on a 5-0 run, never relinquishing the lead from that point forward. The tandem of Baylark and Scanlon combined for five consecutive UT Martin kills at one point to help the Skyhawks reach a 19-14 advantage. Tennessee Tech gave it their all to try and force a fifth set – inching within two points as late as 23-21 – but a Wallick kill set up match point. A Golden Eagle attack error veered left and a celebration broke out as UT Martin formed a dogpile to celebrate.
In a back-and-forth affair that featured 31 tie scores and 13 lead changes, the University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball team saw its impressive eight-match winning streak come to an end in a 3-2 setback at Tennessee Tech (21-25, 25-20, 25-14, 21-25, 13-15).
Less than 24 hours after clinching the Ohio Valley Conference regular season championship and the right to host next week’s OVC Championship tournament, the Skyhawks equaled a season-high with 16 blocks. Angel Baylark led the way with nine blocks while Mia Saenz provided seven swats and Karen Scanlon chipped in six rejections.
Offensively, Saenz and Baylark tied for the team lead with 11 kills apiece while each hitting .300 or better. Haeleigh Paulino (25 assists) and Addy Vaughn (23 assists) helped direct an offense that hit .228 as a team today.
Dylan Mott corralled 21 digs today for her ninth 20-plus dig match of the 2022 campaign. Kayla Carrell also recorded double-digit scoops with 10 digs for UT Martin (21-10, 15-3 OVC), who wrap up the regular season tied for the most OVC victories in school history alongside the 2002 squad.
Saenz got the day started with a big kill on the opening possession of the match but the Golden Eagles (17-13, 14-4 OVC) took a 6-2 lead early on. Kayla Bryant generated a pair of kills during a 5-0 Skyhawk run that tied the score at 10-10. Tennessee Tech scored the next four points but back-to-back points by Kambree Lucas (kill, service ace) pulled UT Martin back to within one point at 19-18. The Golden Eagles then went on a 6-3 run to close out the set. Saenz had three kills on a .333 hitting percentage and a pair of blocks in the first stanza.
Both sides jockeyed for momentum in the early phases of the second set. Tennessee Tech held on to a slim 7-6 lead before a 7-2 Skyhawk surge where five separate players recorded kills (Vaughn, Logan Wallick, Baylark, Saenz and Scanlon). UT Martin led by an 18-16 margin before reeling off five unanswered points, capped off with a Paulino service ace that nudged the Skyhawk lead out to seven points going away. UT Martin hit an even .400 in the second set, guided by four kills apiece from Wallick and Saenz.
The Skyhawk offense stayed hot in the third set, hitting .407 with 13 kills against only two errors in 27 swings. The trio of Wallick, Lucas and Baylark each had two kills apiece to help UT Martin race out to a 10-3 advantage. The Golden Eagles would not get within five points for the duration of the stanza. A service ace from Bryant pushed the Skyhawk lead out to double figures for the first time before Baylark and Wallick teamed up for a block assist on set point. Baylark was a machine in the third set, leading the team with three kills (on a .500 attack percentage) and four blocks.
UT Martin was in good position to conclude the match in four sets as it led by four points late but Tennessee Tech forced a fifth set after scoring eight unanswered points. Five different Skyhawks accounted for UT Martin’s first five kills (Wallick, Saenz, Scanlon, Bryant, Baylark) as the team took a 7-5 advantage. The Golden Eagles briefly took a lead at 12-11 but the Skyhawks posted the next five points to kickstart an 8-2 run. A Tennessee Tech service error made the score 21-17 and put UT Martin on the cusp of victory before the Golden Eagles went on their aforementioned run. Scanlon (four kills) and Mott (eight digs) topped the Skyhawks in the fourth set.
The condensed fifth set was a battle as nine ties and six lead changes took place. UT Martin took its first lead of the stanza at 4-3 after a block assist from Saenz and Scanlon – the first of three straight points via assisted blocks. The Golden Eagles went on a 5-1 run and eventually led 12-9 before four unanswered points from the Skyhawks, keyed by kills out of Wallick and Scanlon. After UT Martin claimed its 13-12 lead, Tennessee Tech scored three consecutive points for the come-from-behind win. A half-dozen different Skyhawks landed a kill in the final set while Mott (four digs) and Scanlon (three blocks) powered the defense.
UT Martin now turns its attention to the OVC Championship event, which will take place at Skyhawk Fieldhouse on Thursday, Nov. 17 through Saturday, Nov. 19. UT Martin’s quarterfinal opponent is No. 8 seed SIUE on Thursday, Nov. 17 at 6 p.m.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information