Skyhawks Fight But Fall 3-1 At Eastern Illinois

Friday, October 31

Charleston, Ill.

4 p.m.

UT Martin

2-21,1-11OVC

Eastern Illinois

16-6,10-2OVC

UT Martin

Eastern Ill.

Skyhawks Fight But Fall 3-1 At Eastern Illinois

10/31/2025 10:32:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Stats PDF

CHARLESTON, Ill. – The University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball team played its fourth straight match on the road this evening, dropping a four-set decision to Eastern Illinois (12-25, 14-25, 25-20, 21-25) at McAfee Gym.

Kayla Bryant picked up her seventh double-double of the season (sixth in Ohio Valley Conference play) with team-highs of 11 kills and 16 digs tonight. Ava Peters produced 26 assists and eight digs while Makaelah Paulino made the start at libero, coming away with 13 digs and two service aces. Kristin Phillips (eight kills, three blocks) and Carly Mueller (three blocks) also chipped in notable performances for the Skyhawks.

A Bryant kill and block assist from Phillips/Kylie Surratt gave UT Martin a 2-0 advantage right out of the gate. The Panthers scored seven of the next eight points before kills by Ella McFarland and Bryant pulled the Skyhawks back within two points. UT Martin stayed within striking distance until Eastern Illinois ended the set on a 14-4 run. Bryant paced the Skyhawks with team-highs of three kills and six digs in the first stanza.

Paulino started the second set with back-to-back service aces as UT Martin accounted for the first four points. The Panthers used a 6-0 run to take their first lead of the stanza but back-to-back kills from Phillips trimmed the Skyhawk deficit to 8-7. Midway through the set, Eastern Illinois tallied eight points in a nine-point span. Phillips and Maddy Gladson provided kills late in the stanza for UT Martin but the Panthers took a 2-0 lead in the match. Phillips hit four kills on a .429 attack percentage while Paulino collected two service aces and four digs in the second set.

Bryant slammed down three kills to help the Skyhawks jump out to a 6-2 advantage in the third set. After the Panthers took an 11-10 edge, UT Martin responded with a 10-2 surge to take the lead for good, capping off the run with a Dylan Sulcer service ace that forced Eastern Illinois to burn a timeout. The Skyhawks eventually stretched their lead out to as many as eight down the stretch as a Mueller kill on set point extended the match into a fourth set. Bryant was unstoppable in the third stanza, compiling five kills on a .500 hitting percentage to lead the way.

Mueller had a hand in back-to-back block assists to open the fourth set as UT Martin soon led by a 10-7 margin. Both sides then jostled back-and-forth until the Panthers went on a 5-1 run to take a 19-15 advantage. The Skyhawks kept scrapping as a pair of Surratt kills whittled UT Martin's deficit down to 22-20. However, Eastern Illinois recovered to score three of the final four points of the match. Surratt's three kills on five swings (.600 attack percentage) and Mueller's three blocks keyed the Skyhawks in the fourth set.

UT Martin now begins a stretch of four straight outings inside Skyhawk Fieldhouse. UT Martin will host a two-match series against Southern Indiana at 4 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 7 before a 10 a.m. matchup on Saturday, Nov. 8.