Tuesday, October 3
Martin, Tenn.
6 p.m.
UT Martin
vs
Tennessee State
Photo by: UT Martin University Relations
DEFENDING OVC REGULAR SEASON AND TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS COLLIDE TOMORROW AS UT MARTIN VOLLEYBALL HOSTS TENNESSEE STATE
10/2/2023 8:20:00 AM | Volleyball
MARTIN, Tenn. – The last two teams to hoist an Ohio Valley Conference volleyball championship trophy will meet tomorrow at Skyhawk Fieldhouse when the University of Tennessee at Martin plays host to Tennessee State at 6 p.m.
These two teams made history in 2022 as the Skyhawks won their first OVC regular season title in 20 years. The Tigers then emerged victorious in the OVC Championship tournament for the first time since 2007, defeating Southeast Missouri in the finals as the No. 6 seed.
UT Martin (3-11, 1-3 OVC) split a pair of four-set matches last week at OVC foe Lindenwood, picking up its first league win of the season in the process. Kayla Bryant (3.63 kills per set) and Haeleigh Paulino (53 assists for an offense that combined to hit .212 in the series) each registered a pair of double-doubles while Kayla Carrell's 43 digs (5.38 per set) spurred on the Skyhawk defense.
On the season, Carrell ranks eighth in the OVC with a 3.57 digs per set average while Olivia Saunders' .284 hitting percentage is good enough for ninth in the league ranks.
In the all-time series history between these two in-state rivals, UT Martin is 40-16 against Tennessee State – including a 21-6 mark (.778 winning percentage) in matches played inside Skyhawk Fieldhouse. Overall, the Skyhawks have not lost to the Tigers since 2015 – carrying an eight-match winning streak into tomorrow's contest.
Last fall, Paulino (67 assists, 23 digs) was responsible for a pair of double-doubles against Tennessee State while Dylan Mott (39 digs, 4.33 per set) and Mia Saenz (eight blocks, 0.89 per set) shored up the UT Martin defensive attack.
The Tigers are 2-12 this season with an even 2-2 mark in OVC play, sweeping a road series at Tennessee Tech before falling twice at home to Southern Indiana last weekend. In the series against the Screaming Eagles, the trio of Celestial Miller (22), Jayla Holcombe (21) and Aleksandra Rojecka (20) combined for 63 of Tennessee State's 88 kills.
This match will be streamed live on ESPN+. That link, in addition to a link to live stats, can be found at the top of the webpage.
These two teams made history in 2022 as the Skyhawks won their first OVC regular season title in 20 years. The Tigers then emerged victorious in the OVC Championship tournament for the first time since 2007, defeating Southeast Missouri in the finals as the No. 6 seed.
UT Martin (3-11, 1-3 OVC) split a pair of four-set matches last week at OVC foe Lindenwood, picking up its first league win of the season in the process. Kayla Bryant (3.63 kills per set) and Haeleigh Paulino (53 assists for an offense that combined to hit .212 in the series) each registered a pair of double-doubles while Kayla Carrell's 43 digs (5.38 per set) spurred on the Skyhawk defense.
On the season, Carrell ranks eighth in the OVC with a 3.57 digs per set average while Olivia Saunders' .284 hitting percentage is good enough for ninth in the league ranks.
In the all-time series history between these two in-state rivals, UT Martin is 40-16 against Tennessee State – including a 21-6 mark (.778 winning percentage) in matches played inside Skyhawk Fieldhouse. Overall, the Skyhawks have not lost to the Tigers since 2015 – carrying an eight-match winning streak into tomorrow's contest.
Last fall, Paulino (67 assists, 23 digs) was responsible for a pair of double-doubles against Tennessee State while Dylan Mott (39 digs, 4.33 per set) and Mia Saenz (eight blocks, 0.89 per set) shored up the UT Martin defensive attack.
The Tigers are 2-12 this season with an even 2-2 mark in OVC play, sweeping a road series at Tennessee Tech before falling twice at home to Southern Indiana last weekend. In the series against the Screaming Eagles, the trio of Celestial Miller (22), Jayla Holcombe (21) and Aleksandra Rojecka (20) combined for 63 of Tennessee State's 88 kills.
This match will be streamed live on ESPN+. That link, in addition to a link to live stats, can be found at the top of the webpage.
Players Mentioned
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/ Volleyball
L/DS
/ Volleyball
L/DS
/ Volleyball
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/ Volleyball
MB
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