Skyhawks Fall On Opening Day Of Mercer Invitational

Friday, September 19

Macon, Ga.

9 a.m.

UT Martin

1-8,0-0OVC

North Dakota

2-7,0-0Summit League

North Dakota

UT Martin

Skyhawks Fall On Opening Day Of Mercer Invitational

9/19/2025 5:32:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Stats PDF (North Dakota)Stats PDF (West Georgia)

MACON, Ga. – The University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball team battled during a busy first day of the Mercer Invitational but ultimately fell in five sets to North Dakota (25-23, 14-25, 25-23, 25-27, 8-15) this morning and in three sets to West Georgia (17-25, 19-25, 24-26) this afternoon at Hawkins Arena.

Sophomore Kylie Surratt led the Skyhawks in both kills (24) and digs (24) today, coming up just one kill shy against West Georgia of recording two double-doubles. Ava Peters accounted for 58 assists (7.25 per set) and 10 kills on a .280 hitting percentage today while Kayla Bryant landed all of her team-high four service aces this morning in the thriller against North Dakota.

Trailing just behind Surratt in the digs column today was Abby Freund (23) and Dylan Sulcer (22). Kristin Phillips' five blocks guided UT Martin defensively while DyYanna Wade rejected a career-best four blocks in the second match of the day against West Georgia.

The Skyhawks put the finishing touches on the Mercer Invitational tomorrow against tournament host Mercer. First serve is set for 12 p.m. CT on ESPN+.

North Dakota
UT Martin had three chances at match point in the fourth set before the Fighting Hawks rallied for the win.

The Skyhawks came out swinging, hitting .344 as a team in the opening set. Surratt had three kills and a block assist in UT Martin's first six points to set the tone early. The Skyhawks went on a 10-3 run midway through the set as Bryant supplied three kills and a service ace during that span. North Dakota eventually came back to briefly take a 23-22 lead but kills from Sulcer and Surratt helped power UT Martin to the finish line. Surratt had six kills on eight swings (.750 hitting percentage) while Peters had 12 assists in the first set.

The Fighting Hawks scored seven of the first eight points of the second stanza, eventually extending their lead into double digits. Ella McFarland (kill), Bryant (kill) and Sulcer (service ace) helped the Skyhawks make a late surge but North Dakota was able to even the match at 1-all. Surratt led UT Martin in kills (two) and digs (four) in the second set but the Fighting Hawks hit an even .500 (16 kills against just one error) in 30 swings.

The third set started off with a 6-1 Skyhawk run as North Dakota never led from that point forward. Five ties ensued with the final deadlock coming at 19-19. McFarland quickly answered with a big kill before back-to-back points from Bryant (kill, service ace) helped set up Surratt for a set-clinching kill. Peters (three kills, eight assists), McFarland (three kills in five attempts) and Freund (five digs) guided UT Martin to a 2-1 lead in the match.

The Skyhawks were in prime position to close out the match in the fourth set but an extremely competitive stanza that featured 14 ties and five lead changes went to the Fighting Hawks. An assisted block from McFarland and Carly Mueller that provided UT Martin with a 7-4 advantage was the only time the lead extended beyond two points on either side until 22-19. During a six-point stretch late in the set, Bryant accounted for a pair of kills and a service ace to help the Skyhawks claim match point at 24-21. However, North Dakota scored six of the final seven points to force a fifth set. Phillips rejected three blocks in the fourth stanza alone to pace UT Martin.

The Fighting Hawks carried over its momentum into the fifth set, scoring the first three points as part of a 10-2 run. Peters, Mueller and Surratt each helped the Skyhawks claw back late but UT Martin could not shake off its slow start. Surratt's two kills and five digs were both team-highs for the Skyhawks in the final stanza.

West Georgia
UT Martin nearly extended the match with a heated third set that involved 17 ties and seven lead changed before the Wolves narrowly closed out the win.

Surratt downed a pair of kills to give the Skyhawks an early lead in the opening set but West Georgia came back to take an 11-5 advantage. Soon thereafter, Surratt managed three points (two kills, one service ace) in a five-point span to pull UT Martin back within striking distance at 16-12 but that was as close as the Skyhawks would get for the remainer of the set. Surratt's four kills led UT Martin offensively in the first stanza.

Three Surratt kills resulted in a blazing start for the Skyhawks in the second set as UT Martin jumped out to an 8-3 edge. The Wolves soon went on an 11-4 run midway through the stanza before a kill from Wade temporarily halted West Georgia's momentum. UT Martin only trailed by two points (18-16) before the Wolves pieced together seven of the final 10 points in the set. Surratt (four kills), Peters (eight assists, five digs) and Sulcer (six digs) stood out for the Skyhawks during the middle set.

Wade had a hand in each of the first three points of the final stanza, slamming down a kill before back-to-back block assists alongside Sienna Wnetrzak resulted in a 3-0 UT Martin lead. West Georgia took its first lead of the set at 9-8 as neither side led by more than two points for the remainder of the match. An assisted block from Wade and Bryant nudged the Skyhawks back ahead by a 13-12 margin as the back-and-forth set continued. After a Bryant kill gave UT Martin a 22-21 advantage, the Wolves scored three consecutive points for match point. Back-to-back kills from Bryant and Wnetrzak knotted the score at 24-24 but West Georgia recovered for the final two points of the day. Bryant and Phillips each had four kills apiece while Wade rejected four blocks in the final set alone.