Photo by: UT Martin University Relations
UT MARTIN VOLLEYBALL PRIMED TO GET 2020-21 SEASON UNDERWAY
1/29/2021 9:52:00 AM | Volleyball
MARTIN, Tenn. – When the University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball team's first serve flies across the net in its Feb. 7 season opener at Eastern Kentucky, it will have been 444 days since the Skyhawks were in action in an official capacity.
To jog your memory, the 2019 UT Martin indoor volleyball season was the best of the Jaclynn Wilson Era, as UT Martin finished fifth in the Ohio Valley Conference standings with a 9-7 record in league play. It was the school's first winning season in OVC play in eight seasons as the Skyhawks won eight of its final 12 matches. The season came to an end in the OVC Tournament quarterfinals on Nov. 21, 2019.
Fast forward until the present day and you'd be skipping through a multitude of twists and turns along the way. The beach volleyball season was limited to just six days last spring as the COVID-19 pandemic swept through the globe and paused the collegiate athletics world in March 2019.
On July 22, 2020, the OVC announced its intent to safely play the fall season but eliminated all nonconference opponents from the schedule. Less than a month later, the league announced that all fall championships would be transitioned into the spring semester.
A sense of normalcy finally began to return when the OVC unveiled an altered 16-match slate on Jan. 5. The Skyhawks began their official practice season nine days later and one trait was very evident to Wilson as she oversaw the team on a daily basis: to say that the 2020-21 UT Martin Skyhawks are chomping at the bit would be quite an understatement.
"We are so ready to get out there and play," Wilson said. "Of course, safety is our top priority and we are so thankful for the opportunity to play this spring. You can absolutely see the desire in their eyes – they are eager to get out there and compete."
The 2020-21 UT Martin squad includes 11 returners and six newcomers. Three starters return in junior outside hitter Logan Wallick (Preseason All-OVC honoree, team-high 2.96 kills per set in 2019), senior setter Kenzie Hinshaw (89 career starts, fourth in Skyhawk history with 2,711 assists and 10th with 95 service aces) and junior opposite hitter Karen Scanlon (eighth in school history with a .247 career hitting percentage).
"Logan really came on for us during the conference season," Wilson said. "She underwent surgery last spring but she's back at full strength now. Kenzie had a strong junior season where I thought she played at an all-conference level. She's one of the best pure athletes on our roster and we completely trust her to direct our offense. Karen will be the driving force behind our offense – she is extremely intelligent in her decision making on the court and with her strong skill sets both offensively and defensively she will transition into a six rotation role for us this year."
Senior Jamie Rys (team-best 3.26 digs per set during an injury-plagued campaign) and sophomore Lucy Kaufman (team-high 3.65 digs per set in OVC play as a collegiate rookie) also return as that tandem primarily split libero duties in 2019. The upperclassman duo of Kayla Carrell (nine starts, 1.29 digs per set) and Kayla Long (1.60 digs per set) additionally will look for expanded roles during this upcoming season.
"We're shaping up to be better defensively than we were last season," Wilson said. "We're pretty young in the middle but our back court defensive game has stepped up to another level. We have a good blend of experience and new talent at that position and that's going to be one of the strengths of our team."
Addison Conley and Jessica Reynolds provide Wilson with notable experience on the outside. Conley found her name in the starting lineup 13 times as a sophomore, slamming down 1.75 kills per set. Reynolds accumulated 2.00 kills per set while making 11 starts in 2019, as Wilson has praised the 6-1 Chandler, Ariz. native for having one of the best offseasons of anybody on the UT Martin roster.
Haeleigh Paulino is one of two sophomore returners for the Skyhawks, as the setter earned playing time in 24 matches a year ago as one of the team's strongest serve options.
Redshirt freshman Zoe Merriweather is the de facto veteran of the aforementioned group of middle blockers, joining true freshmen Lauren O'Neill and Olivia Lucia.
Freshmen defensive specialists Dylan Mott and Baillie Kearns have been impressive during the preseason and will push for immediate playing time at the libero position. They join high-powered outside hitter Kambree Lucas and versatile setter/opposite Addy Vaughn as freshmen who will look to make an impact in 2020-21.
While many factors are sure to be different during the upcoming season – including the possibility of no fans at road venues and playing the same conference opponent on back-to-back days, Wilson believes her team is mentally strong enough to block out the distractions and focus on playing winning volleyball.
"Our team has taken the right approach and attitude into this unusual season," Wilson said. "It's taken a little bit for us to get our conditioning back to where it needs to be but that was expected after such a long layoff. At the end of the day, our girls are back playing the sport they love and there's no better feeling in the world."
To jog your memory, the 2019 UT Martin indoor volleyball season was the best of the Jaclynn Wilson Era, as UT Martin finished fifth in the Ohio Valley Conference standings with a 9-7 record in league play. It was the school's first winning season in OVC play in eight seasons as the Skyhawks won eight of its final 12 matches. The season came to an end in the OVC Tournament quarterfinals on Nov. 21, 2019.
Fast forward until the present day and you'd be skipping through a multitude of twists and turns along the way. The beach volleyball season was limited to just six days last spring as the COVID-19 pandemic swept through the globe and paused the collegiate athletics world in March 2019.
On July 22, 2020, the OVC announced its intent to safely play the fall season but eliminated all nonconference opponents from the schedule. Less than a month later, the league announced that all fall championships would be transitioned into the spring semester.
A sense of normalcy finally began to return when the OVC unveiled an altered 16-match slate on Jan. 5. The Skyhawks began their official practice season nine days later and one trait was very evident to Wilson as she oversaw the team on a daily basis: to say that the 2020-21 UT Martin Skyhawks are chomping at the bit would be quite an understatement.
"We are so ready to get out there and play," Wilson said. "Of course, safety is our top priority and we are so thankful for the opportunity to play this spring. You can absolutely see the desire in their eyes – they are eager to get out there and compete."
The 2020-21 UT Martin squad includes 11 returners and six newcomers. Three starters return in junior outside hitter Logan Wallick (Preseason All-OVC honoree, team-high 2.96 kills per set in 2019), senior setter Kenzie Hinshaw (89 career starts, fourth in Skyhawk history with 2,711 assists and 10th with 95 service aces) and junior opposite hitter Karen Scanlon (eighth in school history with a .247 career hitting percentage).
"Logan really came on for us during the conference season," Wilson said. "She underwent surgery last spring but she's back at full strength now. Kenzie had a strong junior season where I thought she played at an all-conference level. She's one of the best pure athletes on our roster and we completely trust her to direct our offense. Karen will be the driving force behind our offense – she is extremely intelligent in her decision making on the court and with her strong skill sets both offensively and defensively she will transition into a six rotation role for us this year."
Senior Jamie Rys (team-best 3.26 digs per set during an injury-plagued campaign) and sophomore Lucy Kaufman (team-high 3.65 digs per set in OVC play as a collegiate rookie) also return as that tandem primarily split libero duties in 2019. The upperclassman duo of Kayla Carrell (nine starts, 1.29 digs per set) and Kayla Long (1.60 digs per set) additionally will look for expanded roles during this upcoming season.
"We're shaping up to be better defensively than we were last season," Wilson said. "We're pretty young in the middle but our back court defensive game has stepped up to another level. We have a good blend of experience and new talent at that position and that's going to be one of the strengths of our team."
Addison Conley and Jessica Reynolds provide Wilson with notable experience on the outside. Conley found her name in the starting lineup 13 times as a sophomore, slamming down 1.75 kills per set. Reynolds accumulated 2.00 kills per set while making 11 starts in 2019, as Wilson has praised the 6-1 Chandler, Ariz. native for having one of the best offseasons of anybody on the UT Martin roster.
Haeleigh Paulino is one of two sophomore returners for the Skyhawks, as the setter earned playing time in 24 matches a year ago as one of the team's strongest serve options.
Redshirt freshman Zoe Merriweather is the de facto veteran of the aforementioned group of middle blockers, joining true freshmen Lauren O'Neill and Olivia Lucia.
Freshmen defensive specialists Dylan Mott and Baillie Kearns have been impressive during the preseason and will push for immediate playing time at the libero position. They join high-powered outside hitter Kambree Lucas and versatile setter/opposite Addy Vaughn as freshmen who will look to make an impact in 2020-21.
While many factors are sure to be different during the upcoming season – including the possibility of no fans at road venues and playing the same conference opponent on back-to-back days, Wilson believes her team is mentally strong enough to block out the distractions and focus on playing winning volleyball.
"Our team has taken the right approach and attitude into this unusual season," Wilson said. "It's taken a little bit for us to get our conditioning back to where it needs to be but that was expected after such a long layoff. At the end of the day, our girls are back playing the sport they love and there's no better feeling in the world."
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