SKYHAWK VOLLEYBALL ROLLS PAST MEMPHIS IN TIGER BRAWL FINALE; PAULINO AND SAUNDERS CAPTURE ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS

Saturday, September 18

Memphis, Tenn.

11 a.m.

UT Martin

3-9

Memphis

7-5

UT Martin

Memphis

Photo by: Wyatt Richardson/WKU Athletics

SKYHAWK VOLLEYBALL ROLLS PAST MEMPHIS IN TIGER BRAWL FINALE; PAULINO AND SAUNDERS CAPTURE ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS

9/18/2021 3:25:00 PM | Volleyball

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball team fired on all cylinders for the second straight match this afternoon, sweeping the host Memphis Tigers on its own home court (26-24, 25-18, 25-14) to wrap up the Tiger Brawl.

At the conclusion of the tournament, a pair of Skyhawks earned a spot on the seven-member all-tournament team. Haeleigh Paulino (97 assists, 38 digs) and Olivia Saunders (24 kills, .275 hitting percentage and eight blocks) each came away with their first all-tournament accolades in a UT Martin uniform.

Addison Conley paced the Skyhawks with 11 kills on a .296 attack percentage today while Logan Wallick (.467 hitting percentage) and Francela Ulate (.429) both added eight kills apiece. Paulino registered a match-high 33 assists and tacked on seven digs, orchestrating an offensive attack that hit .279 (40 kills against only 11 errors) in 104 attempts.

On the defensive side, Kayla Carrell scooped up a team-best 11 digs with Baillie Kearns (nine) and Conley (nine) following closely behind. Saunders turned away a match-high four blocks at the net for UT Martin, who defeated Memphis for just the third time in school history but second time since 2018.

The first set included an astounding 20 tie scores and 11 lead changes. Conley put down four kills during the Skyhawks' first seven points and added a fifth rally killer soon thereafter to help UT Martin claim a 12-11 advantage. After the Tigers went on a 6-2 run, the Skyhawks scored eight of the next 12 points to go back on top by a 22-21 margin. Momentum temporarily shifted back to Memphis' side as UT Martin faced set point (24-23) before closing out the set with three consecutive points (Conley kill, Logan Wallick kill, block assist from Saunders and Addy Vaughn). Paulino handed out 15 assists in the opening set alone as Conley (six kills) was the primary benefactor of an offense that hit .385.

The Skyhawks trailed by four points midway through the second stanza but a 7-0 run turned the tide. Trailing by a 13-9 margin, UT Martin took advantage of four Tiger errors during the aforementioned 7-0 spurt, opening up a 16-13 lead in the process. Memphis closed the gap to 16-15 but that was as close as it would get the rest of the way as the Skyhawks pieced together an impressive 9-3 run to end the second set. Conley managed team-highs of four kills and four digs in the second set.

In the final stanza, UT Martin sided out at 78 percent (11-of-14), hitting a scorching .462 (13 kills, one error) in 26 swings. The Skyhawks turned a 6-4 deficit into a 13-8 lead courtesy of a 9-2 run which featured kills from four different UT Martin players (Conley, Saunders, Wallick, Zoe Merriweather). Merriweather recorded two more kills to give her three putaways in the span of five points. Ulate soon slammed down back-to-back kills and Wallick did the same to open up a double-digit lead (24-14). An ace from Kearns on the Skyhawks' next serve put the finishing touches on the sweep.

UT Martin rounds out nonconference play this Tuesday, Sept. 21 against Middle Tennessee in a home match that was just added last week. First serve from Skyhawk Fieldhouse is set for 6 p.m.