Bryant And O’Keefe Pick Up Historic Third OVC Pair Of The Week Award
4/15/2025 1:00:00 PM | Beach Volleyball
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – Kayla Bryant and Olivia O'Keefe, the No. 2 pairing for the University of Tennessee at Martin beach volleyball squad, were selected today as the Ohio Valley Conference's Pair of the Week for the third time this spring.
The duo, which also won this award on March 5 and March 25, is now tied for the most OVC Pair of the Week accolades in a single season in Skyhawk history. They ironically tie the tandem of O'Keefe and Kambree Lucas from the 2023 campaign. Today's recognition ties O'Keefe – a graduate from Scottsdale, Ariz. – with current teammate Dylan Mott for the most OVC weekly awards in a career with six while today marks the fourth OVC weekly honor for Bryant, a redshirt sophomore out of Louisville, Ky.
The pair of Bryant/O'Keefe went a perfect 6-0 on the week at No. 2, helping UT Martin to a 5-1 record as a team. Exclusively competing out of the No. 2 slot, Bryant/O'Keefe defeated their counterparts from OVC foe Chattanooga twice on Wednesday (21-16, 21-19 and 21-18, 21-10) before piling up four more victories at the UCA Beach Invitational over the weekend. They came out victorious against opponents from Mary Hardin-Baylor (20-22, 21-12, 15-10) and Hendrix (21-12, 21-13) on Friday before following that with triumphs over Central Arkansas (15-21, 21-10, 15-10) and Texas A&M-Kingsville (21-11, 21-14) on Saturday.
Bryant/O'Keefe are 21-5 on the season with a 5-1 mark against OVC rivals. The pair is 13-4 at the No. 3 position in the lineup and 8-1 at No. 2. They will carry a seven-match winning streak into this weekend's regular season finale, the OVC Weekend at Morehead State. The Skyhawks will collide against Morehead State (9 a.m. CT) and Eastern Illinois (1 p.m.) on Friday, April 18 before taking on Lindenwood (7 a.m. CT) and Tennessee Tech (3 p.m.) on Saturday, April 19.
This weekend marks the last tuneup for the 2025 OVC Championship, which will take place in Chattanooga, Tenn. on April 24-26.
The duo, which also won this award on March 5 and March 25, is now tied for the most OVC Pair of the Week accolades in a single season in Skyhawk history. They ironically tie the tandem of O'Keefe and Kambree Lucas from the 2023 campaign. Today's recognition ties O'Keefe – a graduate from Scottsdale, Ariz. – with current teammate Dylan Mott for the most OVC weekly awards in a career with six while today marks the fourth OVC weekly honor for Bryant, a redshirt sophomore out of Louisville, Ky.
The pair of Bryant/O'Keefe went a perfect 6-0 on the week at No. 2, helping UT Martin to a 5-1 record as a team. Exclusively competing out of the No. 2 slot, Bryant/O'Keefe defeated their counterparts from OVC foe Chattanooga twice on Wednesday (21-16, 21-19 and 21-18, 21-10) before piling up four more victories at the UCA Beach Invitational over the weekend. They came out victorious against opponents from Mary Hardin-Baylor (20-22, 21-12, 15-10) and Hendrix (21-12, 21-13) on Friday before following that with triumphs over Central Arkansas (15-21, 21-10, 15-10) and Texas A&M-Kingsville (21-11, 21-14) on Saturday.
Bryant/O'Keefe are 21-5 on the season with a 5-1 mark against OVC rivals. The pair is 13-4 at the No. 3 position in the lineup and 8-1 at No. 2. They will carry a seven-match winning streak into this weekend's regular season finale, the OVC Weekend at Morehead State. The Skyhawks will collide against Morehead State (9 a.m. CT) and Eastern Illinois (1 p.m.) on Friday, April 18 before taking on Lindenwood (7 a.m. CT) and Tennessee Tech (3 p.m.) on Saturday, April 19.
This weekend marks the last tuneup for the 2025 OVC Championship, which will take place in Chattanooga, Tenn. on April 24-26.
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