Hot-Hitting UT Martin Soars To Home-Opening Triumph Over Evansville

Tuesday, September 15

Martin, Tenn.

6 p.m.

UT Martin

1-6,0-0OVC

Evansville

2-8,0-0MVC

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Evansville	25	21	23	19	1
UT Martin	20	25	25	25	3

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Hot-Hitting UT Martin Soars To Home-Opening Triumph Over Evansville

9/15/2026 10:34:00 PM | Volleyball

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MARTIN, Tenn. – A scorching offensive performance this evening propelled the University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball team to its first win of the season, defeating regional foe Evansville by a 3-1 margin (20-25, 25-21, 25-23, 25-19) inside Skyhawk Fieldhouse.

The Skyhawks hit a season-best .257 tonight, slamming down 58 kills against just 19 attack errors in 152 swings. Carly Mueller registered a career-best 15 kills on a .414 attack percentage (just three miscues in 29 attempts) while Sophie Diouf also dialed up a career-high 15 kills to go along with a .263 hitting percentage in 38 attacks. Maddy Gladson became the third UT Martin player to establish a career-high in kills as the junior from St. Louis, Mo. compiled 14 kills and a .429 attack percentage (only two errors) in 28 swings.

Dylan Sulcer divvied out a career-best 41 assists in her first start of the season at setter, adding nine digs, three kills, two blocks and a match-high two service aces.

The Skyhawk defense was fortified by Lauren Mariscal (career-high 21 digs), Abby Freund (season-best 12 digs) and Mia Saenz (season-high six blocks) tonight as UT Martin improved to 7-5 in home openers under head coach Jaclynn Wilson and 6-2 at home against the Purple Aces since joining the NCAA Division I ranks in 1992.

Gladson had six kills with no errors in 11 attacks (.545 hitting percentage) in the opening set but Evansville hit .325 as a team to take a 1-0 advantage. The Skyhawks led by a 7-3 margin before the Purple Aces took their first advantage at 12-11. Back-to-back Gladson kills evened the score at 19-all but Evansville concluded the opening set on a 6-1 run.

UT Martin evened things up with a complete second set, never trailing throughout the duration. Six different Skyhawks racked up kills in the first 13 points of the second stanza as a Saenz rally killer provided UT Martin with its biggest lead of the set (16-11) on the way to the victory. Mueller was responsible for five kills with zero miscues in seven attacks for a sizzling .714 hitting percentage in the second set.

The Skyhawks overcame a seven-point deficit to claim the third stanza. Trailing by a 14-7 margin, UT Martin continually chipped away until taking its first lead of the set at 20-19 thanks to three consecutive Purple Ace attack errors. Mueller and Sulcer capped off the comeback with back-to-back kills after the score was knotted at 23-23. Mueller stayed hot in the third set, hitting .455 with six kills (against just one error) in 11 attempts.

UT Martin put the finishing touches on the victory by siding out at 75 percent (15-of-20) and hitting a crisp .353 in the fourth set. Chyler Martin combined for four kills during a critical nine-point span towards the end of the set before Diouf managed three kills in a four-point stretch late. Diouf (five kills on .625 attack percentage), Sulcer (14 assists) and Saenz (three blocks) stood out for the Skyhawks in the final set.

A season-long five-match homestand continues this week as UT Martin hosts the Skyhawk Classic on Friday, Sept. 18 through Saturday, Sept. 19. UT Martin will take on Arkansas-Pine Bluff and West Georgia twice on each day as admission is just $5 for a daily pass.