UT MARTIN VOLLEYBALL ON A MISSION DURING YEAR FOUR OF WILSON ERA

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MARTIN, Tenn. – There's an optimistic feeling around the University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball program heading into the 2018 season. Head coach Jaclynn Wilson's Skyhawks officially began their preseason preparations just over a week ago and she quickly has noticed the camaraderie, energy and talent level match up with a team that's ready to compete.

In fact, when the Ohio Valley Conference announced its preseason rankings earlier this week, nobody in the Skyhawk locker room paid much attention. The league's head coaches tabbed the Skyhawks to finish 11^th in the standings.

"I know one thing – when I look out on that court, I'm not looking at an 11^th place team," said Wilson, who is in her fourth season in charge of the UT Martin volleyball program. "Our team doesn't prepare, practice or carry themselves like an 11^th place team. We don't put a lot of stock in the preseason rankings because we know the talent that we have on this roster."

The Skyhawk program showed several signs of turning the corner in 2017, as the team's OVC Tournament berth came down to the final week for the third season in a row. Although it missed out on the postseason, UT Martin dialed up its most wins since the 2011 campaign.

"We saw flashes of our potential last season," Wilson said. "We were in the top half of the standings with six matches left in the conference season, we just didn't close out the season as well as we should have. It's not how you start, it's how you finish – we've tried to instill that mentality in our group all offseason going into the fall."

One thing is for sure – Wilson has several options to choose from when she pencils in her starting lineup. The returning core chalked up 92 starts a season ago – a number that doesn't include 28 "starts" at the libero position.

In 2018, Wilson will oversee a battle-tested group that accepts the challenge of putting in the work and improving every day in practice.

"We only have four upperclassmen but we have a locker room full of leaders," Wilson said. "Even our three sophomores who were here last year combined to make 63 starts last season so they saw first-hand what it takes to win at this level. You have to be ready to compete each and every night, especially during conference season."

The leadership starts with the senior duo of Brooke Gyori and Megan Fair. Gyori is one of the top returning defensive players in the OVC in 2018, as she tallied double-figures in the dig column in 25 of her 28 matches. Fair was a constant in the Skyhawk lineup last season, starting all 29 matches while chipping in seven double-doubles.

"We expect Brooke and Megan to lead by example throughout their season campaign," Wilson said. "Brooke is one of the toughest kids I have ever coached – she played through injuries last season and still put up monster numbers for us defensively. Megan showed some versatility and value throughout her junior year and we expect her to be even better this season."

Sophomore Kenzie Hinshaw returns after starting 27 matches at setter last season. She divvied out a team-high 687 assists as part of a dual-setter system while also collecting a team-best 26 service aces.

"Kenzie really ran an efficient offense last season," Wilson said. "We were pleased with her progress as a freshman – she got better and better as she adjusted to the speed of the collegiate game. We have a lot of confidence in Kenzie and her ability to get our offense where it needs to be."

Justine Walker was responsible for the fourth-most starts on the squad in 2017, starting in 24 matches at middle blocker/opposite hitter as a true freshman. She immediately established herself as a dominant presence at the net, swatting nearly one block per set in OVC play while posting 24 multi-block performances.

"Justine's play was a little overshadowed last season (by two-time All-OVC first teamer Jemima Idemudia)," Wilson said. "But make no mistake about it, Justine played exceptionally well for us all year, especially down the stretch. I look for her to take that next step in 2018."

Junior Hannah Phillips and sophomore Jamie Rys also look to build off their 2017 campaigns. Phillips hit at least .250 on seven different occasions in OVC play while Rys served as a reliable option both defensively (double-digit digs in seven matches) and offensively (at least six kills in 10 different matches).

"Hannah is our only player with at least two years of Division I experience," Wilson said. "No one outworks Hannah and she is also one of our smartest players – those traits bode well for her future. Jamie is so versatile that it's hard to keep her off the court. She can affect a match in so many ways and we feel comfortable with Jamie on the floor."

Maddi Noble is also set to make her collegiate debut after the setter redshirted in 2017. She brings a winning background to the Skyhawk program after a successful prep career at Sandra Day O'Connor High School in Phoenix, Ariz.

"We were so impressed with Maddi's attitude and professionalism last season," Wilson said. "It's not easy getting after it every day in practice without that reward of playing time in the matches. She didn't use that time to sulk – she saw the game through a different perspective and shaped herself into a better player."

One of the most pleasant surprises of the preseason camp has been the play of junior middle blocker Gintare Mackeviciute. The tallest player on the squad at 6-3, she joined UT Martin as a late addition out of Lindsey Wilson College, who captured the 2017 NAIA national championship.

"Gintare treats every practice rep like it's match point," Wilson said. "There's a lot of excitement in her game – she hits the ball with so much force and provides some great size at the net. She has really impressed us throughout fall camp."

Like Mackeviciute, Logan Wallick also signed with the Skyhawk program in May after completing her freshman campaign at Fort Hays State – a NCAA Division II institution located in Kansas. She has recently been sidelined by a minor injury but is projected to be ready for the season-opening tournament.

"Logan's athleticism is off the charts," Wilson said. "She has missed a few practices with a nagging injury but she's a true gamer – we know she will step right back in without missing a beat."

The only other injury concern comes from freshman Karen Scanlon, who is recovering from a torn ACL. The talented rookie middle blocker/outside hitter is expected to miss a portion of the nonconference schedule. The freshman trio of Lindsey Geurin (libero/defensive specialist), Jessica Reynolds (opposite/outside hitter) and Addison Conley (opposite/outside hitter) have shown the ability to contribute.

"Karen is on the mend right now," Wilson said. "When she is healthy, she is very fast and we know she'll be ready to make an impact for us. Lindsey is adapting to the indoor game after having primarily played beach – she has more than held her own so far this preseason. Jessica has great size and with a little more consistency, she can be a real force in our conference. Addison has brought lots of positive energy every day and she will undoubtedly push our veterans for playing time."

The 2018 season will provide the home crowd more opportunities to see the Skyhawks in action, as UT Martin plays four matches in the Skyhawk Invitational on Aug. 30-Sept. 2. Coming into this season, UT Martin had only played two nonconference home matches in Wilson's tenure.

"Our home schedule is by far the best we have had since I have been here," Wilson said. "Counting our exhibition, we have five home matches before jumping into conference play and then we end with six of our final nine regular season matches at home. We want to put ourselves in a position where we can hopefully use our home court advantage to help propel us towards a spot in the OVC Tournament."

UT MARTIN VOLLEYBALL ON A MISSION DURING YEAR FOUR OF WILSON ERA

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Players Mentioned

Addison Conley

Megan Fair

Lindsey Geurin

Brooke Gyori

Kenzie Hinshaw

Jemima Idemudia

Gintare Mackeviciute

Maddi Noble

Hannah Phillips

Jessica Reynolds

Jamie Rys

Karen Scanlon

Justine Walker

Logan Wallick

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