UT MARTIN VOLLEYBALL RACKS UP FOUR-SET VICTORY AT JACKSONVILLE STATE FOR FIRST OVC WIN

Saturday, September 28

Jacksonville, Ala.

2 p.m.

UT Martin

Jacksonville State

UT MARTIN VOLLEYBALL RACKS UP FOUR-SET VICTORY AT JACKSONVILLE STATE FOR FIRST OVC WIN

9/28/2019 10:43:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score PDF

JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – The University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball squad put on an offensive clinic this afternoon, turning away Ohio Valley Conference rival Jacksonville State by a 3-1 margin (25-21, 16-25, 26-24, 25-20) at Pete Mathews Coliseum.

Four different Skyhawks contributed at least 12 kills while Kenzie Hinshaw distributed 50 assists for an offense that hit .299. Jessica Reynolds compiled a team-best 13 kills with only three miscues while Gintare Mackevicute, Logan Wallick and Karen Scanlon were each responsible for 12 kills apiece.

Defensively, Jamie Rys set a new career-high with 25 digs while Scanlon (12 digs) and Hinshaw (10 digs) each completed double-doubles. Lucy Kaufman pled up 11 digs while Justine Walker turned away a match-high six blocks at the net to help UT Martin improve to 5-11 (1-1 OVC).

Walker and Reynolds each had a pair of kills during the Skyhawks' 7-3 run to begin the first set. The Gamecocks answered with a 10-2 surge to take a four-point advantage but UT Martin was able to tilt the score back in its favor after another Reynolds kill pushed the Skyhawks ahead 18-17. Jacksonville State posted four of the next five points but UT Martin stormed back to notch the last six points of the match – including three consecutive kills by Reynolds.

The Gamecocks evened the match at 1-all but not before the Skyhawks opened the second set on a 3-1 run that featured kills from Wallick, Walker and Hinshaw. A 7-1 Jacksonville State run soon followed before Reynolds delivered a kill to monentarily halt the Gamecocks' momentum. Jacksonville State then went on another extended run – this time scoring seven of nine points during one stretch – and UT Martin would not get any closer than six points the rest of the way.

The Skyhawks faced a 4-0 deficit to start the third set but eventually took a 7-6 lead after a Walker service ace. After the Gamecocks went ahead by a 13-11 margin, UT Martin reeled off six unanswered points to go ahead 17-13. Four more ties followed and things looked grim for the Skyhawks after Jacksonville State reached set point at 24-21. However, UT Martin came through late for the second consecutive set, piecing together the final five points as Walker was responsible for a solo block and a kill during the final push.

Mackeviciute was a machine for the Skyhawks early in the fourth set, piecing together a personal 4-0 run that included three consecutive kills and a block assist. That gave UT Martin a 9-4 cushion but the Gamecocks rallied, trimming their deficit to 12-11 and forcing the Skyhawks to burn a timeout. Mackeviciute heated up once again, finding two more kills during a 9-4 run that pushed UT Martin's lead out to six points. Jacksonville State would close within three points at 23-20 but Walker (kill) and Kaufman (service ace) wrapped up an impressive road victory for the Skyhawks.

UT Martin continues its four-match road trip to start off OVC play next weekend when it travels to Murray State (Friday, Oct. 4) and Austin Peay (Saturday, Oct. 5).