A Skyhawk Fieldhouse record of 1,213 fans created just the environment the University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball team needed to shake off a slow start this evening, defeating SIUE in four sets (21-25, 25-19, 25-17, 25-14) in the 2022 Ohio Valley Conference Championship quarterfinal round.
Tonight's attendance featured 41 more fans than the previous record of 1,172 in the OVC Championship semifinals against Murray State on Nov. 22, 2022. The raucous crowd provided energy throughout the night for a Skyhawk squad that improved to 22-10 overall and won their first OVC Tournament match since 2011.
Sophomore Dylan Mott made history in the second set as she became just the 12th player in UT Martin volleyball history to amass 1,000 career digs. The Hendersonville, Tenn. native needed just seven digs this evening and ended with 14 scoops.
Karen Scanlon also put together one of the finest matches of her storied career tonight, ending with a career-high 19 kills, a .295 hitting percentage, 20 digs, four service aces and a pair of blocks. Her graduate teammate Logan Wallick was just as good on both ends, posting 13 kills (against just one error) and a .414 hitting percentage on 29 swings while tallying a match-high six blocks and five digs.
Kambree Lucas (12 kills, 13 digs) and Haeleigh Paulino (21 assists, 11 digs) both tallied double-doubles while Kayla Carrell (career-best 13 digs), Angel Baylark (five blocks) and Mia Saenz (four blocks) helped solidify the Skyhawk defensive attack as part of an all-around team effort.
Capping off a wild day where the underdog seed won each of the first three matches, SIUE rode that momentum into a first-set victory. A Saenz kill gave UT Martin an early lead but the upset-minded Cougars managed the tempo for most of the stanza. SIUE went on a 14-6 run to go on top by a 16-9 margin before a pair of Wallick kills helped will the Skyhawks back to within striking distance at 17-13. Another Wallick kill closed the gap to 24-21 but that was ultimately as close as UT Martin would get. Wallick (five) and Scanlon (four) joined forces for nine of the Skyhawks' 13 kills in the opening set.
UT Martin then settled in and took control as there were only two lead changes in the final three sets combined. Wallick and Scanlon teamed up for five kills as the Skyhawks claimed a 7-3 advantage. Scanlon then went on an insane run where the first team All-OVC selection from Scottsdale, Ariz. generated five straight points of all varieties (solo block, three kills, service ace). The Cougars used a 5-0 spurt to get within two points (18-16) but the trio of Lucas, Wallick and Baylark each had two kills over a 7-3 run to end the set. Scanlon wound up with seven kills (on a .455 attack percentage) and eight digs in the second set alone to almost singlehandedly alter the momentum of the match.
Saenz earned UT Martin's first two points of the third set via kills, adding a service ace moments later to push the Skyhawk advantage out to 16-9 after a 10-4 run. SIUE responded with a 3-0 run to get within four points (16-12) but UT Martin buckled in, replying with three straight points of its own to end the threat. The Cougars wouldn't get any closer than six points for the remainder of the set. Lucas (four kills, four digs) and Mott (team-best five digs) guided the way for the Skyhawks as they took a 2-1 advantage.
The fourth set included a heavy dosage of Scanlon early as she compiled five kills in the team's first 12 points. Leading by a 16-12 margin, UT Martin then ran away with the match – unspooling a 7-0 run that was started (kill) and ended (service ace) by Lucas. The Skyhawks built up a 23-12 lead by that point and officially advanced to the semifinals following a block assist from Addy Vaughn and Saenz on match point. Scanlon's five kills and Wallick's three blocks in the final set paved the way for the UT Martin win.
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