SKYHAWK VOLLEYBALL ROLLS TO A PAIR OF CONVINCING SWEEPS ON DAY ONE OF BLUE RAIDER INVITATIONAL

Friday, September 9

Murfreesboro, Tenn.

1:30 p.m.

UT Martin

5-3

Belmont

1-7

UT Martin

Belmont

SKYHAWK VOLLEYBALL ROLLS TO A PAIR OF CONVINCING SWEEPS ON DAY ONE OF BLUE RAIDER INVITATIONAL

9/9/2022 7:38:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 PDF Boxscore (Belmont)PDF Boxscore (Grambling State)

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball team breezed by its opposition today, sweeping Belmont (25-20, 25-11, 25-21) and Grambling State (25-12, 25-19, 25-22) in dominant fashion on the first day of the Blue Raider Invitational.

Kambree Lucas paced the Skyhawks today with 17 kills (2.83 per set) while Haeleigh Paulino made sure the offense ran smoothly with 57 assists (9.50 per set) for a squad that registered a blazing .275 hitting percentage. The Skyhawks also generated a whopping 20 service aces (3.33 per set) in the two matches, compared to just three for the opposition.

Defensively, Dylan Mott collected a team-high 22 digs (3.67 per set) while freshman Mia Saenz turned away a team-best nine blocks (1.50 per set) at the net for UT Martin.

The Skyhawks (6-3) look to wrap up a perfect weekend tomorrow when they take on tournament host Middle Tennessee at 1:30 p.m.

Belmont
A barrage of service aces – 13 to be exact – propelled UT Martin to a quick sweep over its former Ohio Valley Conference rival Belmont, giving head coach Jaclynn Wilson her 200^th career victory.

A Saenz kill began an early run that gave the Skyhawks a 5-4 lead in the opening set. The Bruins charged back to take an 11-8 advantage but back-to-back kills out of Kayla Bryant and Karen Scanlon equaled the score at 12-all. Belmont accounted for the next four points before a UT Martin timeout. The momentum shifted to the Skyhawks from that point forward as UT Martin ended the stanza on a 13-4 run. Bryant had a pair of service aces to start a stretch of five unanswered points before a pair of Paulino kills bookended a 6-0 run that closed out the set. Paulino was the all-around star of the first stanza, collecting two kills, six assists and three digs.

The second set was all Skyhawks as UT Martin used a 15-1 run early on to set the tone. The Skyhawks landed seven service aces in the middle stanza alone, starting with the opening point from Mott. Paulino added two more aces during a 6-0 UT Martin run before Bryant unleashed three service aces in a separate 9-0 surge as the Skyhawks led by a 16-2 margin. Saenz directed another ace over the net soon thereafter as UT Martin cruised to the 2-0 advantage in the match. Bryant posted three kills (on a .500 hitting percentage) and three service aces in the second set alone as the Skyhawks hit .474 (10 kills against one error) in 19 swings.

Belmont took a 6-3 lead during the opening stages of the third set but UT Martin stormed back for 10 of the next 13 points. Angel Baylark delivered back-to-back kills while the service magic lingered into the third set, resulting in aces from Mott and Saenz. The Bruins made one final run and eventually claimed a 21-20 advantage. However, the Skyhawk deficit was short-lived as UT Martin strung together five unanswered points. Bryant managed a pair of kills before a block assist from Saenz and Scanlon on match point. Bryant stood out in the final set, accumulative five kills on a .444 hitting percentage to go along with a team-best five digs.

Grambling State
Logan Wallick was on fire in the second of the Skyhawks' back-to-back matches, dialing up 14 kills with just one miscue on 22 swings (.591 attack percentage) against the Lady Tigers.

UT Martin sided out on a remarkable 92 percent (12-for-13) of its opportunities in the opening set, hitting .344 in the process. Baylark got the Skyhawks jumpstarted with two early kills that allowed UT Martin to take a 9-4 advantage. The duo of Wallick and Lucas then took over, quickly putting the set out of reach. Wallick secured three kills in the span of six points before Lucas boomed four kills over a six-point stretch, including three in a row to help the Skyhawks stretch their lead out to 23-9 on the way to the win. Wallick, Lucas and Baylark each had four kills in the first set while Paulino (13 assists) and Mott (eight digs) also performed well.

Wallick fueled the UT Martin engine in the initial stages of the second set as the graduate from Waddell, Ariz. was responsible for four kills in the Skyhawks' first 11 points. Service aces from Kayla Carrell and Ryan Rednour soon pushed UT Martin's lead out to 16-12 before another Wallick kill helped the Skyhawks stretch their advantage to six points at 20-14. Scanlon soon came away with a pair of kills in the final portion of the set, aiding UT Martin to a 2-0 lead in the match. Wallick powered through for five kills in six tries (.833 hitting percentage) while Scanlon also notched five kills in the second stanza.

Grambling State threatened in the third set but the Skyhawks completed their second sweep in four hours. Saenz struck for back-to-back service aces while Lucas and Scanlon each had a pair of kills as UT Martin raced out to an 11-4 advantage. The Lady Tigers used a 10-3 run to even the score at 14-14 but the Skyhawks didn't panic, steadily building their lead back up to match point at 24-19. Grambling State pulled to within two points before a Saenz rally killer put the finishing touches on UT Martin's highly successful day. Wallick had five kills while Paulino managed 11 assists and Carrell scooped up a team-best five digs in the final set.