SKYHAWK VOLLEYBALL BATTLES BUT FALLS ON OPENING DAY OF INDIANA INVITATIONAL

Friday, August 30

Bloomington, Ind.

9 a.m.

UT Martin

0-1

Marshall

1-0

UT Martin

Marshall

SKYHAWK VOLLEYBALL BATTLES BUT FALLS ON OPENING DAY OF INDIANA INVITATIONAL

8/30/2019 10:25:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Marshall PDF Santa Clara PDF

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball squad ran into some tough luck on the first day of the Indiana Invitational, as the Skyhawks fell 3-0 to Marshall (19-25, 20-25, 23-25) and 3-2 in heartbreaking fashion against Santa Clara (25-23, 25-22, 23-25, 9-25, 9-15).

Jessica Reynolds keyed UT Martin offensively today, as the sophomore out of Chandler, Ariz. tallied 29 kills (3.62 per set) in two matches. That includes a career-best 19-kill effort against Santa Clara this afternoon. Kenzie Hinshaw handed out 71 assists (8.88 per set) today while Jamie Rys (32 digs, 4.00 per set), Gintare Mackeviciute (six blocks) and Justine Walker (six blocks) paced the Skyhawks defensively.

UT Martin returns to action on Saturday, Aug. 31 when it takes on Indiana and FIU at 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. CST, respectively.

Marshall
The Skyhawks stayed within striking distance of the Thundering Herd throughout but could not break through against the Conference USA opponent.

Mackeviciute collected a pair of early kills in the opening set but UT Martin fell behind by an 11-6 margin. A service ace by Walker closed the Skyhawk gap to four points but Marshall scored five of the next six points and UT Martin wouldn't get any closer than five points the rest of the set.

Logan Wallick amassed two kills in the early stages of the second set to help the Skyhawks jump out to a 7-5 advantage. The Thundering Herd pieced together a 6-0 run soon thereafter but a Walker kill capped off a 5-1 run and evened the score at 19-all. However, Marshall closed out the set with six of the final seven points.

The third set featured 13 tie scores and eight lead changes but unfortunately UT Martin could not stay alive. Back-to-back kills by Walker and Reynolds provided the Skyhawks with their first lead of the set at 9-8. The Thundering Herd unreeled three consecutive points but UT Martin kept fighting, leading as late as 22-21 behind an assisted block by Wallick and Mackeviciute. Marshall wrapped up the set on a 4-1 run from that point forward.

Santa Clara
The Skyhawks dominated through the first two stanzas but ultimately fell victim to a comeback from their opponent out of the West Coast Conference.

UT Martin faced a 13-10 deficit in the first set before turning things around via a 7-1 run that included two kills and an assisted block by Mackeviciute. The Broncos would get within one point on three separate occasions but the Skyhawks would not fold, as Reynolds provided two big kills down the stretch to help UT Martin race out to a 1-0 lead.

Santa Clara started the second stanza on a 4-1 run but the Skyhawks went on a 4-0 run to claim the lead. UT Martin endured a stretch of three straight points by the Broncos midway through the set, battling back from a 13-10 deficit to soon take an 18-16 lead after a Walker service ace. Reynolds slammed down a kill to stretch the Skyhawk lead out to four points before a Phillips kill on set point gave UT Martin a 2-0 advantage.

The Skyhawks came out on a mission in the third set, leading 6-1 as Walker accumulated a pair of kills and an assisted block in the early going. Santa Clara took its first lead of the set at 16-15 but Addison Conley (service ace) and Hinshaw (kill) kept UT Martin on top late. The Broncos went ahead after a 6-0 run but the Skyhawk fought off set point with four straight points, starting with back-to-back kills off the right hand of Reynolds. A Walker kill pulled UT Martin within one point at 24-23 but Santa Clara scored out of a timeout to force a fourth set.

The Broncos were responsible for the first three and nine of the first 11 points in the fourth stanza. Two kills by Conley momentarily halted Santa Clara's momentum while the Skyhawks earned back-to-back points behind a Mackeviciute kill and a Rys service ace. However, the Broncos wrapped up the set with eight unanswered points to lead to a decisive fifth set.

An attack error on the opening point gave UT Martin a lead to start the final stanza. Santa Clara answered with a 5-0 run before a Skyhawk timeout led to three straight points, as kills by Reynolds and Walker were sandwiched around a Bronco attack error. After UT Martin trimmed its deficit to one, Santa Clara went on a 4-0 run. Soon thereafter, Mackeviciute came away with a kill to shave the Skyhawk deficit to 12-9 but the Broncos compiled three straight points to complete the comeback.