UT MARTIN VOLLEYBALL FALLS IN FOUR SETS IN BLUE RAIDER INVITATIONAL FINALE; PAULINO AND WALLICK NAMED TO ALL-TOURNAMENT SQUAD

Saturday, September 10

Murfreesboro, Tenn.

1:30 p.m.

UT Martin

6-4

Middle Tennessee

8-2

UT Martin

Middle Tennessee

UT MARTIN VOLLEYBALL FALLS IN FOUR SETS IN BLUE RAIDER INVITATIONAL FINALE; PAULINO AND WALLICK NAMED TO ALL-TOURNAMENT SQUAD

9/10/2022 7:21:00 PM | Volleyball

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MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Things started out well for the University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball team today but the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders mounted a comeback as the Skyhawks fell in four sets (25-17, 24-26, 20-25, 19-25).

UT Martin's offense stayed hot today as the Skyhawks hit .252, directed by Haeleigh Paulino's season-best 40 assists. Karen Scanlon collected 17 kills on a .517 hitting percentage, committing only two errors on 29 swings. Logan Wallick provided 13 kills on a .345 attack percentage while Kambree Lucas tacked on 11 kills and a match-high three service aces.

Dylan Mott scooped up a team-best 13 digs while Mia Saenz rejected a match-high three blocks for UT Martin (6-4).

The Blue Raider Invitational all-tournament team was announced at the conclusion of the match as Paulino and Wallick each earned spots on the seven-member squad. Paulino distributed 97 assists (9.70 per set) with 22 digs and six service aces in three matches while Wallick amassed 27 kills (3.86 per set) on a .451 hitting percentage in a pair of matches.

Four different Skyhawks (Saenz, Scanlon, Lucas, Wallick) accounted for the team's first four kills of the match. Scanlon piled up three more kills during a 6-0 UT Martin run that resulted in a 13-7 Skyhawk advantage. Lucas soon added a kill and a service ace to help UT Martin stretch its lead out to 18-10. Wallick took over from there, generating three kills in the span of five points on the way to the first-set victory. The Skyhawks hit a remarkable .536 in the opening set, landing 17 kills against just two errors in 28 attempts. Wallick and Scanlon each had five kills apiece.

UT Martin was in prime position to take a 2-0 lead but the Blue Raiders stormed back for a 6-1 run to end the second set. The Skyhawks battled back from a 4-1
deficit to take their first lead at 6-5 thanks to a pair of Angel Baylark kills. Lucas soon rose high for a kill and served up back-to-back aces to nudge UT Martin's lead out to 16-11. Middle Tennessee responded with four straight points but three consecutive kills from Lucas resulted in a 23-20 Skyhawk advantage. However, the Blue Raiders rallied to force a 1-1 tie in the match. Lucas shined in the second stanza, accumulating five kills and two service aces while Paulino dished out 13 assists.

The score was 5-4 in favor of Middle Tennessee (8-2) to start the third set but the Blue Raiders then scored six unanswered points. UT Martin responded with six of the next eight points, including service aces from Mott and Kayla Carrell. Three straight Skyhawk kills kept UT Martin's deficit at three but Middle Tennessee came right back with a 7-1 run to go on top by a 23-14 margin. A trio of Wallick kills helped spur a 6-1 Skyhawk surge that closed the gap to 24-20 but the Blue Raiders soon converted set point. Wallick had four kills in five swings in the third set.

Scanlon opened the fourth set with back-to-back kills and later added another rally killer as UT Martin claimed a 10-5 advantage. Middle Tennessee then scored 13 of the next 18 points before another Scanlon kill temporarily halted the Blue Raider momentum and pulled the Skyhawks within a single point at 18-17. Scanlon tacked on her seventh kill of the set to keep the margin at one but Middle Tennessee wrapped up the match with five straight points. Paulino assisted on 10 of UT Martin's 11 kills in the final stanza.

The Skyhawks conclude the nonconference portion of their schedule next weekend when they travel to Clarksville, Tenn. for the Stacheville Challenge. UT Martin will take on ETSU (10 a.m.) and North Dakota State (4 p.m.) on Friday, Sept. 16 before facing off against tournament host Austin Peay on Saturday, Sept. 17 at 1:30 p.m.