Photo by: UT Martin Sports Information
LAST-MINUTE ADJUSTMENTS PAY OFF FOR UT MARTIN BEACH VOLLEYBALL AHEAD OF NCAA TOURNAMENT BERTH
5/2/2022 10:25:00 AM | Beach Volleyball
MARTIN, Tenn. – There was plenty of room for optimism once the University of Tennessee at Martin beach volleyball team boarded its bus back home from its regular season finale on April 23.
The Skyhawks, who went 0-15 and won three out of a possible 75 sets during its inaugural season in 2017, had officially arrived as an Ohio Valley Conference contender just five years later. UT Martin had just clinched a share of the OVC regular season championship and was headed to the 2022 league championships as the No. 1 seed.
However, head coach Jaclynn Wilson knew there was something missing. The Skyhawks began the 2022 campaign with a sizzling 10-3 record but only won four of their next nine matches to end the regular season. Going into the final match of the OVC Weekend at Austin Peay, UT Martin had a chance to be outright OVC champions but fell by a 3-2 margin to Chattanooga.
"There was certainly excitement that we had accomplished one of our goals to be OVC champions but there was a sense of disappointment as well," said Wilson, who has guided the Skyhawks to 17 victories this season – the same exact amount of wins for the program in its first four years combined. "We let the opportunity of being sole champions slip through our fingers. Going into the most important week of our season at the OVC Championship tournament, I felt like we needed a spark."
With a deadline looming to submit lineups for the OVC Championship event, Wilson decided to hold a practice on the Sunday after the team wrapped up the regular season. It was there that she tweaked a couple of the pairs in the UT Martin lineup.
Wilson had seen enough during the one practice session to go with her gut. Two of the five duos – occupying the top two positions in the lineup – had not played in an official capacity all season. Another one had only partnered together four times during the spring.
"Switching things up was definitely a gamble but I felt all along it was in the best interest of our team or else I wouldn't have done it," Wilson said. "Out of the five teams who took part in the OVC Championship, we were the only ones who made any changes to their normal lineups. I'm sure a lot of people did some doubletakes when they saw our plans but it obviously ended up being the right move in the long run."
In the aftermath of the changes, a trio of 3-2 decisions played out for the Skyhawks in the OVC Championship. It was a scenario where every point mattered and UT Martin emerged from the unknown to the promised land – hoisting the trophy as the first team in OVC history to sweep both regular season and tournament titles.
With all the talk about changes, there was plenty of familiarity remaining across the Skyhawk lineup that comforted Wilson. The No. 4 tandem of Kayla Carrell/Addison Conley did what they have grown accustomed to doing this spring, which is steamrolling the competition. That duo extended their own school record with three straight wins in the OVC Championship – improving to 24-1 on the season on the way to Tournament Most Valuable Pair honors.
Additionally playing a big role in UT Martin's success this past weekend was the No. 5 team of Brooke Kuball/Addy Vaughn. They posted a pair of victories – including one in Saturday's final against Morehead State – to give the Skyhawks early momentum, which is no small feat considering the pressure-packed environment of postseason play.
Karen Scanlon and Logan Wallick – after each earning All-OVC accolades while playing with other partners during the regular season – joined forces at No. 1 during the OVC Championship event. There they were on Friday, gelling quickly enough to defeat Chattanooga's All-OVC first team tandem of Baylee Young and Gylian Finch for the clinching point that sent UT Martin to the finals.
Also tacking on a hard-fought victory against the Mocs was Dylan Mott and Hannah Phillips, who also had no prior experience playing with each other this spring before this week. They provided stability out of the No. 2 spot and turned away Chattanooga's All-OVC second team performers of Paige Gallentine/Neva Clark.
The only remaining position in the Skyhawk lineup was at No. 3. After Haeleigh Paulino had teamed up with Wallick for 18 of the first 19 matches, Wilson inserted Lucas as Paulino's partner for good midway through the second-to-last day of the regular season. With the weight of the world on their shoulders as all of the momentum shifted Morehead State's way during the finals, Paulino/Lucas stood tall with a come-from-behind three-set victory, sending UT Martin to the NCAA Tournament as the OVC's first ever automatic qualifier.
With lots of happy tears and smiling faces on the five-plus hour bus ride home from the OVC Championship, Wilson had already turned the page. It may have been her creative tinkering of the lineup that led to the wins but she wasn't having any of that. She was looking forward to another feeling she had dreamed about since building the Skyhawk beach program from scratch.
"Our girls are the ones who deserve all of the credit – they adjusted on the fly and didn't back down from the greatest of all challenges," Wilson said. "We always talk about putting UT Martin on the map. I could not wait to see our girls react when they saw our name on that television screen on the NCAA selection show. We know a lot of people were Googling us when we popped up in the bracket and that leads to great exposure for our university. Our girls do things the right way – to pour your heart and soul into every practice, every match, every play during the season and be rewarded with that type of recognition when you play in the NCAA Tournament, that is a blessing that we will never forget."
The Skyhawks, who went 0-15 and won three out of a possible 75 sets during its inaugural season in 2017, had officially arrived as an Ohio Valley Conference contender just five years later. UT Martin had just clinched a share of the OVC regular season championship and was headed to the 2022 league championships as the No. 1 seed.
However, head coach Jaclynn Wilson knew there was something missing. The Skyhawks began the 2022 campaign with a sizzling 10-3 record but only won four of their next nine matches to end the regular season. Going into the final match of the OVC Weekend at Austin Peay, UT Martin had a chance to be outright OVC champions but fell by a 3-2 margin to Chattanooga.
"There was certainly excitement that we had accomplished one of our goals to be OVC champions but there was a sense of disappointment as well," said Wilson, who has guided the Skyhawks to 17 victories this season – the same exact amount of wins for the program in its first four years combined. "We let the opportunity of being sole champions slip through our fingers. Going into the most important week of our season at the OVC Championship tournament, I felt like we needed a spark."
With a deadline looming to submit lineups for the OVC Championship event, Wilson decided to hold a practice on the Sunday after the team wrapped up the regular season. It was there that she tweaked a couple of the pairs in the UT Martin lineup.
Wilson had seen enough during the one practice session to go with her gut. Two of the five duos – occupying the top two positions in the lineup – had not played in an official capacity all season. Another one had only partnered together four times during the spring.
"Switching things up was definitely a gamble but I felt all along it was in the best interest of our team or else I wouldn't have done it," Wilson said. "Out of the five teams who took part in the OVC Championship, we were the only ones who made any changes to their normal lineups. I'm sure a lot of people did some doubletakes when they saw our plans but it obviously ended up being the right move in the long run."
In the aftermath of the changes, a trio of 3-2 decisions played out for the Skyhawks in the OVC Championship. It was a scenario where every point mattered and UT Martin emerged from the unknown to the promised land – hoisting the trophy as the first team in OVC history to sweep both regular season and tournament titles.
With all the talk about changes, there was plenty of familiarity remaining across the Skyhawk lineup that comforted Wilson. The No. 4 tandem of Kayla Carrell/Addison Conley did what they have grown accustomed to doing this spring, which is steamrolling the competition. That duo extended their own school record with three straight wins in the OVC Championship – improving to 24-1 on the season on the way to Tournament Most Valuable Pair honors.
Additionally playing a big role in UT Martin's success this past weekend was the No. 5 team of Brooke Kuball/Addy Vaughn. They posted a pair of victories – including one in Saturday's final against Morehead State – to give the Skyhawks early momentum, which is no small feat considering the pressure-packed environment of postseason play.
Karen Scanlon and Logan Wallick – after each earning All-OVC accolades while playing with other partners during the regular season – joined forces at No. 1 during the OVC Championship event. There they were on Friday, gelling quickly enough to defeat Chattanooga's All-OVC first team tandem of Baylee Young and Gylian Finch for the clinching point that sent UT Martin to the finals.
Also tacking on a hard-fought victory against the Mocs was Dylan Mott and Hannah Phillips, who also had no prior experience playing with each other this spring before this week. They provided stability out of the No. 2 spot and turned away Chattanooga's All-OVC second team performers of Paige Gallentine/Neva Clark.
The only remaining position in the Skyhawk lineup was at No. 3. After Haeleigh Paulino had teamed up with Wallick for 18 of the first 19 matches, Wilson inserted Lucas as Paulino's partner for good midway through the second-to-last day of the regular season. With the weight of the world on their shoulders as all of the momentum shifted Morehead State's way during the finals, Paulino/Lucas stood tall with a come-from-behind three-set victory, sending UT Martin to the NCAA Tournament as the OVC's first ever automatic qualifier.
With lots of happy tears and smiling faces on the five-plus hour bus ride home from the OVC Championship, Wilson had already turned the page. It may have been her creative tinkering of the lineup that led to the wins but she wasn't having any of that. She was looking forward to another feeling she had dreamed about since building the Skyhawk beach program from scratch.
"Our girls are the ones who deserve all of the credit – they adjusted on the fly and didn't back down from the greatest of all challenges," Wilson said. "We always talk about putting UT Martin on the map. I could not wait to see our girls react when they saw our name on that television screen on the NCAA selection show. We know a lot of people were Googling us when we popped up in the bracket and that leads to great exposure for our university. Our girls do things the right way – to pour your heart and soul into every practice, every match, every play during the season and be rewarded with that type of recognition when you play in the NCAA Tournament, that is a blessing that we will never forget."
Players Mentioned
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