UT MARTIN VOLLEYBALL PICKS UP FIRST WIN OF SEASON ON DAY 1 OF CARDINAL CLASSIC

Friday, August 24

Louisville, Ky.

11:30 A.M.

UT Martin

0-1

Louisville

1-0

UT Martin

Louisville

UT MARTIN VOLLEYBALL PICKS UP FIRST WIN OF SEASON ON DAY 1 OF CARDINAL CLASSIC

8/24/2018 7:14:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball team split its two matches to start off the 2018 season today, falling to host Louisville by a 3-0 margin (7-25, 17-25, 12-25) this morning before rebounding to defeat IUPUI by a 3-1 score (25-16, 22-25, 25-22, 25-20) at the Cardinal Classic.

Gintare Mackeviciute and Hannah Phillips shared the team lead in kills today as each junior piled up 18 rally killers. Megan Fair also added 16 kills on the day – all coming against IUPUI – while Kenzie Hinshaw collected 54 assists for UT Martin.

Defensively, Brooke Gyori amassed 38 digs (5.43 per set) for the Skyhawks, including 28 alone in the nightcap victory over IUPUI. Justine Walker turned away five blocks at the net to lead UT Martin in that category.

The Skyhawks wrap up their participation in the Cardinal Classic tomorrow when they take on Southern Illinois at 2 p.m.

Louisville
Gyori accounted for a match-best 10 digs but the defending Atlantic Coast Conference champion Cardinals proved to be too much for the Skyhawks.

Walker and Mackeviciute each provided a pair of kills in the opening set for UT Martin but Louisville did not commit a single attack error while siding out at 100 percent (8-for-8) to claim the early 1-0 advantage in the match.

The Skyhawks shook off a slow start in the second set, using a 10-3 run to trim their deficit to 19-16. However, Louisville escaped with the win after tallying six of the final seven points in the set. Phillips (five kills), Hinshaw (eight assists) and Gyori (five digs) guided UT Martin in the middle set.

The Skyhawks stayed within striking distance in the early stages of the third set before a 6-0 Cardinal run created some separation. Phillips was responsible for both of UT Martin's kills in the set as the Skyhawks hit -.158 over the final set.

IUPUI
Gyori's 28 digs were one shy of her career-high total as UT Martin bounced back for their first victory in the young 2018 campaign.

The Skyhawks posted early momentum in the first set, racing out to leads of 6-1 and 11-4. UT Martin led by as many as 10 points (16-6) as it cruised to the 1-0 match lead. Fair's five kills and Gyori's eight digs led the Skyhawks to begin the match.

The Jaguars scored the first 10 points of the second set but UT Martin showed grit, continually chipping away at its deficit. The Skyhawks pulled within two points after an assisted block by Walker and Hinshaw made the score 24-22 but IUPUI tallied the next point to even the match at 1-all. Mackeviciute dialed up seven kills with zero errors on 11 swings while Hinshaw dished out 10 assists in the second set for UT Martin.

The third set started off with six consecutive points for IUPUI but the Skyhawks grabbed their first lead at 12-11. After five ties and three lead changes, Fair had three late kills in a row to help propel UT Martin to the 2-1 lead in the match. Phillips and Gyori paced the Skyhawks with four kills and eight digs, respectively.

Jamie Rys accounted for three kills as UT Martin took a 5-0 lead to open the final set. The Jaguars stormed back to take a 17-15 lead but the Skyhawks wrapped up the set on a 10-3 run as a Fair kill completed the comeback and sealed the victory. Fair and Rys each paved the way with five kills while Hinshaw was responsible for 16 assists in the fourth set alone.