UT Martin Outlasts Western Illinois For First OVC Triumph

Friday, October 10

Martin, Tenn.

4 p.m.

UT Martin

2-15,1-5OVC

Western Illinois

5-14,2-4OVC

Western Ill.

UT Martin

UT Martin Outlasts Western Illinois For First OVC Triumph

10/10/2025 8:27:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Stats PDF Photo Gallery

MARTIN, Tenn. – A riveting fifth set provided a fitting end to the University of Tennessee at Martin's volleyball match today as the Skyhawks defeated Western Illinois for their first Ohio Valley Conference victory of the season (22-25, 25-23, 25-19, 18-25, 15-13).

UT Martin trailed by a 12-8 margin in the deciding fifth stanza but rallied to score seven of the final eight points. Five different Skyhawks scored the final five UT Martin points as Kristin Phillips (kill), Ava Peters (kill), Dylan Sulcer (service ace), Kylie Surratt (kill) and Kayla Bryant (kill) helped the Skyhawks complete the impressive comeback.

Bryant stayed hot with her third consecutive double-double, amassing season-highs of 17 kills and 21 digs to go along with three service aces. Ava Peters handed out 41 assists while setting career-highs in both digs (17) and blocks (five) while Kristin Phillips tallied 10 kills, a career-best three service aces and a season-high four blocks.

The UT Martin trio of Abby Freund (match-best 27 digs), Dylan Sulcer (career-high 18 digs) and Carly Mueller (team-best five blocks) helped tame the Leatherneck offense.

The first set alone featured 13 tie scores and five lead changes. Neither side took more than a one-point lead until the Skyhawks claimed a 9-7 advantage. The scoring margin remained razor-thin before Western Illinois scored three straight points to go on top by an 18-15 margin. A Makaelah Paulino service ace pulled UT Martin back within one point late but the Leathernecks were able to take the early 1-0 lead in the match. Bryant had four kills and a service ace to top the Skyhawks in the opening set.

Phillips started the second stanza with back-to-back kills to get UT Martin back on track. After a Phillips service ace, Western Illinois scored four consecutive points and eventually took a 16-12 lead. The Skyhawks found themselves trailing by a 22-19 margin but scrapped back for six of the last seven points of the set, capped off with a Bryant service ace that knotted the match at 1-1. Freund managed a whopping 10 digs in the second set alone as UT Martin held the Leathernecks to an .035 hitting percentage.

The Skyhawks held a block party midway through the third stanza, at one point rejecting three blocks in the span of four points during a 6-0 surge. Mueller had a hand in all three blocks with two assisted swats and one solo block. Three Sienna Wnetrzak kills in the span of six points helped UT Martin extend its advantage out to nine points (21-12) as the Skyhawks advanced one step closer to victory. Bryant (team-highs of four kills, five digs) and Peters (eight assists, three blocks) led the way for UT Martin in the middle set.

Western Illinois began the fourth set on a 7-2 run and eventually led by a 14-8 margin before the Skyhawks mounted a comeback. UT Martin used a 7-3 surge to get back within striking distance as two straight Bryant kills made the score 18-16. However, the Leathernecks were responsible for seven of the next nine points to force a winner-take-all fifth set. Freund nabbed eight digs for the Skyhawks in the fourth stanza.

In the fifth set, UT Martin was incredibly composed in a pressure-packed environment – committing just one attack error in the entire stanza (.233 hitting percentage). Sulcer's service ace gave the Skyhawks their first lead in the set at 13-12 as she also scooped up a team-best five digs in the shortened stanza.

UT Martin resumes its homestand next week when it hosts OVC rival SIUE on Friday, Oct. 17 (5 p.m.) and Saturday, Oct. 18 (11 a.m.).