SKYHAWK VOLLEYBALL BATTLES BUT FALLS IN FIVE-SET HEARTBREAKER AGAINST SOUTHERN ILLINOIS; GYORI EARNS ALL-TOURNAMENT STATUS

Saturday, August 25

Louisville, Ky.

2 P.M.

UT Martin

1-2

Southern Illinois

2-1

Southern Illinois

UT Martin

SKYHAWK VOLLEYBALL BATTLES BUT FALLS IN FIVE-SET HEARTBREAKER AGAINST SOUTHERN ILLINOIS; GYORI EARNS ALL-TOURNAMENT STATUS

8/25/2018 5:04:00 PM | Volleyball

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Several University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball players posted remarkable performances today against Southern Illinois but the Skyhawks came up just short, falling in five sets (25-19, 22-25, 20-25, 25-13, 10-15) in their final match in the Cardinal Classic.

Gintare Mackeviciute dialed up a team-best 20 kills while hitting .400 in 35 swings today, also chipping in a match-high five blocks for UT Martin (1-2). Logan Wallick added 15 kills against only two miscues while sophomore Kenzie Hinshaw accounted for her eighth career double-double with a career-best 51 assists and 16 digs. Overall, the Skyhawks hit .220 as a team (66 kills, 27 errors) in 177 attempts.

Brooke Gyori scooped up a match-high 26 digs while Jamie Rys tallied 14 digs for the Skyhawks, who saw four players (Mackeviciute, Megan Fair, Hannah Phillips, Justine Walker) post multi-block performances at the net.

At the conclusion of the match, Gyori was tabbed to the Cardinal Classic all-tournament squad. The senior libero out of Oregon, Ohio provided 64 digs (5.33 per set), 10 assists and four service aces over the tournament's three matches, garnering an all-tournament nod for the third time in her two seasons at UT Martin.

The Skyhawks never trailed in the first set, scoring the first four points en route to a 6-1 advantage. Southern Illinois closed to within two points at 15-13 but UT Martin reeled off five unanswered points on its way to the 1-0 lead. Fair had a team-high four kills as the Skyhawks combined for a .273 hitting percentage in the first set.

The second set featured 13 ties and four lead changes. Mackeviciute and Wallick combined for four consecutive kills to help UT Martin claim a 19-18 lead but the Salukis rallied to score seven of the final 10 points. Mackeviciute (six) and Wallick (five) joined forces for 11 of the Skyhawks' 16 kills in the set.

A total of nine ties and five lead changes graced the third set, as a service ace by Rys provided UT Martin with a 10-9 advantage. However, that would be the last time the Skyhawks would lead in the stanza as Southern Illinois went on a 10-4 run after the score was knotted at 13-all. Hinshaw led the way with team-highs of 11 assists and seven digs for UT Martin.

The Skyhawks got back in their offensive groove in the fourth set, posting a .289 attack percentage. A critical 8-1 UT Martin run midway through the stanza proved to be the difference, as the Skyhawks gained momentum by finishing off the set with five points in a row. UT Martin committed only four attack errors in the set while Gyori's 11 digs helped shore up the defense.

Southern Illinois took a 6-2 lead to begin the winner-take-all fifth set but the Skyhawks bounced back to tie the match at 7-7 thanks to three straight Mackeviciute kills. However, the Salukis answered with the next five points and UT Martin could not recover. Mackeviciute accounted for five of the Skyhawks' nine kills in the final set.

UT Martin returns to action next week for the Skyhawk Invitational, its first in-season home tournament since 2014. The Skyhawks host Central Arkansas, Florida A&M, Memphis and UAB for 10 total matches spread out over four days (Aug. 30 through Sept. 2). UT Martin begins the tournament on Thursday, Aug. 30 when it hosts Central Arkansas at 6 p.m.