FIVE-SET DECISION DOES NOT GO UT MARTIN VOLLEYBALL’S WAY IN OPENING MATCH OF AUSTIN PEAY ROAD SERIES

Saturday, November 6

Clarksville, Tenn.

7 p.m.

UT Martin

13-15,9-6OVC

Austin Peay

18-9,11-3OVC

UT Martin

Austin Peay

Photo by: Jim Cundiff/Morehead State Athletics

FIVE-SET DECISION DOES NOT GO UT MARTIN VOLLEYBALL’S WAY IN OPENING MATCH OF AUSTIN PEAY ROAD SERIES

11/6/2021 11:13:00 PM | Volleyball

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CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – For the second straight match, the University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball team wound up on the short end of a furious comeback as the Skyhawks fell in five sets (25-14, 25-17, 19-25, 18-25, 15-10) at Austin Peay this evening.

Tonight's match included 21 tie scores and 14 lead changes – all in the second through fourth sets – before the Governors eked out the win.

UT Martin received a double-double out of Karen Scanlon tonight as the senior from Scottsdale, Ariz. amassed a match-high 16 kills (on a .448 hitting percentage) and 11 digs. She was joined in double-digit kills by Olivia Saunders (12), Logan Wallick (11) and Jessica Reynolds (11) as the Skyhawk offense hit .244 for the night. Haeleigh Paulino distributed a match-best 24 assists while Addy Vaughn had 17 assists and seven kills on a .417 attack percentage.

Dylan Mott came away with a match-best 18 digs while Scanlon equaled a match-high with four blocks for UT Martin, who falls to 13-15 with a 9-6 Ohio Valley Conference record.

Things couldn't have started any better for the Skyhawks as they raced out to a 5-0 lead in the opening set. Two straight kills from Reynolds helped UT Martin push its advantage out to 7-3. Soon thereafter, the Skyhawks accounted for six unanswered points – stretching their lead to double figures (19-9). Austin Peay would not get any closer than nine points for the rest of the set as a Wallick solo block clinched the 1-0 lead for UT Martin, who hit .355 (14 kills against three errors) in 31 attempts.

The Skyhawk offense was even more efficient in the second stanza, hitting .452 with 17 kills and three errors in 31 swings. Kayla Carrell landed back-to-back service aces early before three straight kills nudged UT Martin's advantage out to 11-9. The set was knotted at 11-all but the Skyhawks were responsible for 14 of the final 20 points, ending the set on a 9-3 surge. Scanlon and Saunders each had a pair of kills during the final push as Scanlon wrapped up the set with four kills on six attempts.

UT Martin shook off a slow start in the third set to lead late but the Governors (18-9, 11-3 OVC) battled back to extend the match. Vaughn managed three kills and a pair of assists during an 8-2 run that provided the Skyhawks with an 11-10 lead. Austin Peay briefly took a slim lead but a 5-2 UT Martin run – bookended by kills from Reynolds and Saunders – flipped the score back in favor of the Skyhawks at 17-16. The score was eventually tied at 19-19 but the Governors scored the final six points of the set. Scanlon tallied an identical line in the third set as she did in the second stanza as she had four kills with no miscues on six swings.

Saunders slammed down a pair of rally killers during the early stages of the fourth set as both sides jockeyed for position. Austin Peay went on a 6-0 run to create a little separation but UT Martin continued to chip away at its deficit. Another Saunders kill put the finishing touches on a 5-1 run and trimmed the Skyhawk deficit to 19-16. However, the Governors forced a fifth set after posting six of the final eight points from that point forward. Mott registered six of UT Martin's 16 digs in the fourth set.

The start of the fifth set was the Skyhawks' undoing as Austin Peay jumped out to a 7-0 advantage. UT Martin began to slowly build momentum as Scanlon and Wallick joined forces for four combined kills to help the Skyhawks make the score 12-8. Ultimately, four points was as close as UT Martin would get as the Governors wrapped up their comeback. Wallick had three kills with no errors in seven swings (.429 hitting percentage) during the abbreviated final stanza.

The Skyhawks will go for a season split against Austin Peay tomorrow at 2 p.m. as it will be the final regular season road match of the 2021 campaign for UT Martin.