Skyhawks Begin 2026 Campaign At Stacheville Challenge

Friday, August 28

Clarksville, Tenn.

1 p.m.

UT Martin

0-1,0-0OVC

Austin Peay

1-0,0-0WAC

Team	1	2	3	Final F
UT Martin	6	24	17	0
Austin Peay	25	26	25	3

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
Kansas City	16	25	28	24	15	3
UT Martin	25	19	26	26	11	2

Skyhawks Begin 2026 Campaign At Stacheville Challenge

8/28/2026 8:23:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Stats PDF (Austin Peay)Stats PDF (Kansas City)

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – The 2026 season officially opened for the University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball squad today as the Skyhawks put up a fight but fell 3-0 to Stacheville Challenge host Austin Peay (6-25, 24-26, 17-25) before being outlasted by Kansas City (25-16, 19-25, 26-28, 26-24, 11-15) in a five-set thriller.

Luli Arcucci topped UT Martin in kills today with 23 (2.88 per set), followed closely behind by Chyler Martin's 22 rally killers. Sophie Diouf (17 kills on a team-best .317 hitting percentage) also paced the Skyhawks offensively while Ida Wiszomirska (52 assists, 8.67 per set) and Reagan Hamm (24 assists, 8.0 per set) split duties at setter.

Defensively, Dylan Sulcer led the way with 34 digs (4.25 per set) while Arcucci (22 digs) and Carly Mueller (team-best five blocks in five sets) also lifted UT Martin.

The Skyhawks wrap up the Stacheville Challenge tomorrow with a matchup against Jackson State. First serve is set for 10:30 a.m.

Austin Peay
Arcucci collected team-highs of eight kills and 12 digs in her UT Martin debut but the Skyhawks fell in the season opener.

The first point of the young 2026 campaign came via a kill from Mia Saenz before the Governors used an extended run to take the opening stanza. Riley Rushing produced team-highs of two kills and three digs in the first set for UT Martin.

The second set featured 12 tie scores and five lead changes. The Skyhawks flipped a 9-6 deficit into a 19-16 advantage before earning set point at 24-23 following back-to-back kills from Arcucci and Rushing. However, Austin Peay was able to take a 2-0 lead after scoring three unanswered points in the middle stanza. Arcucci (team-highs of six kills on a .545 attack percentage and eight digs) and Martin (six kills) paced UT Martin in the second set.

A Mueller kill and Penny Kirkham service ace helped the Skyhawks shave a five-point deficit into a one-point match (13-12) in the third set. Back-to-back kills from Mari Haas and Diouf kept UT Martin within striking distance (17-15) late but the Governors ended the match on an 8-2 run. Hamm dished out nine assists for the Skyhawks in the final set alone.

Kansas City
A balanced offensive attack was headlined by Arcucci (15 kills, 10 digs) and Martin (15 kills, team-best .379 attack percentage) but UT Martin was narrowly defeated in a match that had 43 ties and 14 lead changes.

The Skyhawks controlled most of the opening set before the Demons evened the score at 14-all. UT Martin then reeled off a 10-0 run which was highlighted by a pair of Abby Freund service aces. Moments later, Saenz delivered the set-clinching kill to give the Skyhawks the 1-0 lead in the match. Martin and Arcucci each provided four kills apiece while Wiszomirska managed 11 assists in the first stanza.

Three consecutive points from Diouf (kill, two service aces) helped UT Martin pull out of an early hole and take a 12-11 advantage in the second set. Four more ties followed before Kansas City evened up the match with five of the final six points in the set. Sulcer was responsible for eight of the Skyhawks' 13 digs in the second set.

Back-to-back service aces from Mari Haas nudged UT Martin's lead out to 9-5 to start the third stanza. The Kangaroos eventually came back to take a 23-20 advantage before the Skyhawks charged back to claim set point (24-23). However, Kansas City ended the set on a 5-2 run to take a 2-1 lead in the match in the process. Diouf and Arcucci both slammed down four kills while Haas landed a remarkable three aces in the third set alone.

Neither side led by more than two points in the fourth set until a 4-0 UT Martin run resulted in a 17-13 Skyhawk advantage. After the Kangaroos tied the score at 24-all, UT Martin forced a decisive fifth set thanks to a Kansas City service error and Arcucci set-clinching kill. Diouf was a key factor in the Skyhawks' fourth-set success, notching five kills against no errors in just nine swings while Wiszomirska distributed 15 of UT Martin's 16 assists in the stanza.

The fifth set was a back-and-forth affair throughout. Diouf accounted for consecutive Skyhawk points with a solo block and kill as UT Martin led by a 6-5 margin. Martin then caught fire for three straight kills as the score crept to a 10-10 tie. However, the Kangaroos secured five of the last six points to close out the match. Wiszomirska (five assists, team-high four digs) led the Skyhawks in the final set.