SKYHAWK VOLLEYBALL BATTLES BUT WRAPS UP HOMESTAND WITH SETBACK TO ARKANSAS STATE; SCANLON AND BAYLARK CLAIM ALL-TOURNAMENT NODS

Saturday, September 3

Martin, Tenn.

1:30 p.m.

UT Martin

4-3

Arkansas State

5-1

Arkansas State

UT Martin

SKYHAWK VOLLEYBALL BATTLES BUT WRAPS UP HOMESTAND WITH SETBACK TO ARKANSAS STATE; SCANLON AND BAYLARK CLAIM ALL-TOURNAMENT NODS

9/3/2022 7:11:00 PM | Volleyball

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MARTIN, Tenn. – A slow start cost the University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball team this afternoon as the squad fell in four sets to Arkansas State (17-25, 25-27, 25-20, 23-25) in the de facto Skyhawk Invitational championship match.

Both teams entered the day with unblemished 2-0 records in the tournament and delivered an entertaining match which featured 35 tie scores and 14 lead changes. UT Martin (4-3) discovered its offensive rhythm in the third set – collecting only five total attack errors from that point forward – but the Red Wolves (5-1) managed to hang on for the win.

Karen Scanlon topped the Skyhawks in kills for the third consecutive match today, tallying 15 rally killers on a .294 hitting percentage. The graduate from Scottsdale, Ariz. also added eight digs and three blocks. Haeleigh Paulino (team-high 21 assists) and Kayla Bryant (career-best three service aces) also guided along the UT Martin offensive attack. Defensively, Dylan Mott corralled a team-high 13 digs while Angel Baylark rejected six blocks at the net.

Following the match, Scanlon and Baylark were each named to the Skyhawk Invitational all-tournament team. Scanlon accounted for 38 digs (3.80 per set) on a .367 hitting percentage with 26 digs (2.60 per set) while Baylark accumulated 13 blocks (1.30 per set), a .310 attack percentage and 20 kills (2.0 per set). The UT Martin duo was joined on the all-tournament squad by Arkansas State's Kyla Wiersema (Most Valuable Player), Arkansas State's Macey Putt, Arkansas State's Ilayda Dincer, Western Illinois' Brittany Wulf and Alabama A&M's Keyara Brooks.

Scanlon had three kills through the Skyhawks' first eight points of the match. She later added two more kills to her tally, flipping a one-point deficit into a 16-14 UT Martin advantage. The Red Wolves then used an extended run to steal the opening set, scoring eight straight points as part of an 11-1 surge which led to a 1-0 Skyhawk deficit in the match. Scanlon's five kills were nearly half of UT Martin's total (11).

The Skyhawks were in prime position to even the match after securing set point in the second stanza but Arkansas State tallied the final three points of the set. Bryant got UT Martin off to a good start as back-to-back service aces from the freshman out of Louisville, Ky. gave the Skyhawks the early edge. The Red Wolves eventually led by a 14-11 margin but UT Martin responded with a 6-1 lead to reclaim the advantage. Continuing with the back-and-forth theme of the set, Arkansas State answered with five of the next six points but the Skyhawks stormed back to lead 25-24 following a Mott service ace. However, Arkansas State managed to score three consecutive points. Wallick's four kills led UT Martin in the second stanza.

The lead never changed hands in the third set as the Skyhawks began the stanza on a 6-0 run. Paulino landed a pair of service aces to help UT Martin get started on the right foot. Another Bryant service ace doubled up the Red Wolves at 12-6. The freshman duo of Bryant and Mia Saenz joined forces for three straight points (kill and an assisted block apiece) to make the score 19-15 in favor of the Skyhawks but Arkansas State came back with a 4-0 surge to tie the score. UT Martin answered with six of the final seven points, capped off by a block assist from Baylark and Addy Vaughn on set point. The Skyhawks hit .423 with only one error in 26 attacks in the third set while Baylark accumulated three blocks.

The remainder of the match was tight throughout as UT Martin fought to extend the match into a deciding fifth set. Baylark got the Skyhawks on the scoreboard with back-to-back kills before Scanlon took over, compiling UT Martin's next four kills. The Skyhawks led 13-11 until the Red Wolves went on a 7-1 run, eventually claiming a five-point lead. UT Martin pulled back within a single point on four different occasions but could not break through. Scanlon had seven kills with only one error in 12 swings while Mott scooped seven digs in the final stanza.

The Skyhawks head to their third nonconference tournament of the 2022 campaign next weekend, traveling to Murfreesboro, Tenn. for the Blue Raider Invitational. UT Martin takes on Belmont and Grambling State on Friday, Sept. 9 before playing tournament host Middle Tennessee on Saturday, Sept. 10.