The University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball team showed plenty of fight today as the Skyhawks split an Ohio Valley Conference doubleheader at Eastern Illinois. UT Martin's comeback attempt fell short in the five-set frontend (28-30, 18-25, 25-21, 25-14, 13-15) before a 3-2 triumph in the afternoon matchup (19-25, 25-23, 25-16, 22-25, 17-15) in a gridlock battle between the top two teams in the league standings.
Logan Wallick posted 32 kills (3.20 per set) today to guide the Skyhawks offensively, followed closely by 25 kills apiece from Karen Scanlon (two double-doubles) and Angel Baylark (team-best .476 hitting percentage). Setters Haeleigh Paulino and Addy Vaughn each produced seven kills while combining for 90 assists, 15 digs and five blocks during today's action.
UT Martin (14-9, 8-2 OVC) was led defensively by Dylan Mott's 39 digs (3.90 per set) and Mia Saenz's 15 blocks (1.50 per set). Scanlon (24 digs, 11 blocks) and Kambree Lucas (22 digs) also pitched in gritty performances during the doubleheader.
The Skyhawks return home for their next two outings, facing OVC rival Lindenwood on Friday, Oct. 21 (6 p.m.) and Saturday, Oct. 22 (2 p.m.).
Match 1
UT Martin grappled its way to a fifth set after trailing 2-0 in the match but fell in a heartbreaker as the Panthers (13-9, 7-2 OVC) started the busy day with a slim win.
On a day that featured 53 tie scores and 24 lead changes, the first set included 14 ties and five lead changes on its own. The Skyhawks led for most of the way as a pair of Saenz kills helped UT Martin take a 5-2 advantage. Baylark soon added two kills as the Skyhawks expanded their lead out to three points but Eastern Illinois took its first lead of the set at 15-14. The duo of Baylark and Wallick combined for seven kills in the span of 11 points to bring up set point for UT Martin at 24-23. That was the first of three set point opportunities for the Skyhawks before the Panthers scored three unanswered points to claim the 30-28 win. Baylark had six kills with no errors in 10 swings while Mott registered eight digs in the opening set.
A pair of Wallick kills accounted for UT Martin's first two points of the second set but Eastern Illinois scored six of the first eight points. The Panthers eventually built up a 13-8 advantage before the Skyhawks made a push, spurred by back-to-back kills from Baylark and Vaughn. Eventually, UT Martin knotted the score at 17-all but Eastern Illinois responded with a 7-0 run, which ended with another Vaughn kill. However, the damage was already done as the Panthers sided out for set point on the next serve. Wallick had four kills to top the Skyhawks in the second stanza.
Scanlon keyed UT Martin early in the third set, delivering a pair of kills and a service ace as the Skyhawks took a 7-4 lead. Vaughn had a hand in four consecutive points (two kills, a block assist and an assist) to guide UT Martin to an 11-7 advantage. Eastern Illinois kept hanging around – eventually cutting its deficit to 19-18 – before the Skyhawks put the set away with a 5-0 run. Scanlon was responsible for three kills in UT Martin's final five points to extend the match. Scanlon powered through for five kills on six swings while Mott scooped up seven digs in the third set.
The momentum gained during the third stanza carried over to the fourth set as the Skyhawks almost led wire-to-wire. After the Panthers tallied the first three points, UT Martin reeled off 13 unanswered points with Paulino serving. Scanlon had four kills and a block assist while Wallick nabbed two kills and two block assists during the surge. Back-to-back kills from Lucas and Vaughn ballooned the Skyhawk advantage out to 19-7 as UT Martin won going away. Defense was the key to the Skyhawk success in the fourth stanza as the Panthers hit -.091 (five kills against eight errors) in 33 attempts.
UT Martin led as late as 13-12 in the fifth set but Eastern Illinois was able to flip the tide and take the opening match. The Panthers scored the first three points of the final stanza on the way to a 5-2 advantage but Wallick put down three kills in a row. A kill and solo block by Baylark on back-to-back possessions gave the Skyhawks their first lead of the set at 10-9. From that point forward, each team alternated the next seven points until Eastern Illinois ended the match on a 3-0 run. Wallick provided four of UT Martin's eight kills in the final set.
Match 2
The Skyhawks quickly erased their memories and made a statement with a clutch victory in the nightcap, catapulting themselves into the OVC lead in the process.
A kill from Lucas and a Kayla Carrell service ace helped UT Martin take a 6-3 advantage in the first set. The Panthers scored five consecutive points to reclaim a lead they would not relinquish the rest of the way. Eastern Illinois held an 18-13 lead before a Skyhawk timeout led to back-to-back points, capped off with an Audrey Haworth service ace. Kills from Scanlon and Wallick – sandwiched around a Lucas service ace – helped UT Martin stay close at 22-19 but the Panthers scored the final three points. Wallick's three kills and Mott's four digs paved the way for the Skyhawks.
UT Martin received kills out of five different players in its first seven points of the second set before Baylark's second rally killer helped the Skyhawks turn a three-point deficit into an 11-10 advantage. Moments later, UT Martin pieced together a 5-0 run to create some separation. A Scanlon service ace kept the Skyhawk lead at four points (20-16) but Eastern Illinois battled all the way back to even the score at 23-23. However, back-to-back Panther attack errors gave UT Martin the 1-1 tie going into the third stanza. Saenz hit .333 and swatted away three blocks for the Skyhawks in the second set.
Eastern Illinois notched the first three points of the third set but the forceful right hand of Baylark soon caught fire. The sophomore middle blocker from Burlington, Iowa torched the Panthers for four kills and two block assists over a stretch of eight points. Wallick soon tacked on a pair of kills that resulted in a 16-9 UT Martin advantage. That's ultimately as close as Eastern Illinois would get for the remainder of the stanza as Scanlon and Baylark teamed up for a block assist on set point. Baylark excelled on both ends in the third set, managing five kills and three blocks as the Skyhawks held a distinct advantage in attack percentage (.276 to .000).
A 5-1 Panther lead turned into a 5-5 tie to begin the fourth set after a Scanlon kill ended a 4-0 UT Martin run. Eastern Illinois led 12-8 but the Skyhawks kept chipping away, eventually knotting the score at 17-all after back-to-back kills from Lucas and Baylark. Two more ties followed but the Panthers generated five of the final seven points to send the match into a decisive fifth set. Lucas was responsible for team-highs of three kills, three digs and a block in the fourth stanza.
For the third straight set, Eastern Illinois got off to a fast start as the host squad scored the first three points of the fifth stanza. Kills from four separate UT Martin players and a Haworth service ace turned a Skyhawk deficit into a 9-7 advantage. After Vaughn and Baylark joined forces for a block assist to extend UT Martin's lead out to 13-9, the Panthers shook loose for four straight points. Three chances at match point followed before Lucas found the back right corner for a kill that clinched the Skyhawk victory. Baylark had a team-high three kills in the final set.
Original source can be found here
Alerts Sign-up