UT Martin Wins Both Ends Of Skyhawk Classic Opening Day

Friday, September 18

Martin, Tenn.

12 p.m.

UT Martin

2-6,0-0OVC

Arkansas-Pine Bluff

3-8,0-0SWAC

Team	1	2	3	Final F
Ark.-Pine Bluff	10	15	26	0
UT Martin	25	25	28	3

Stats PDF Tournament Central

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
West Ga.	23	15	25	25	1
UT Martin	25	25	20	27	3

UT Martin Wins Both Ends Of Skyhawk Classic Opening Day

9/18/2026 10:30:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Stats PDF (Arkansas-Pine Bluff)Stats PDF (West Georgia)Photo Gallery

MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball team ran its winning streak to three matches today with a pair of victories in the Skyhawk Classic, downing Arkansas-Pine Bluff in three sets (25-10, 25-15, 28-26) before defeating West Georgia by a 3-1 margin (25-23, 25-15, 20-25, 27-25).

Dylan Sulcer ran an offense that hit .233 on the day, handing out 72 assists (10.29 per set) to go along with 11 kills herself on a scorching .556 attack percentage (just one error in 18 swings). The senior out of Brentwood, Tenn. also added a service ace, nine digs and five blocks (0.71 per set) on the day.

Sophie Diouf's 20 kills (2.86 per set) ranked as a team-high while Carly Mueller (2.43 kills per set on a .306 attack percentage and 1.43 blocks per set) also shined all-around today. Chyler Martin tacked on 16 total kills while Luli Arcucci (3.67 kills per set on a .444 hitting percentage), Maddy Gladson (3.25 kills per set, 2.75 digs per set) and Mari Haas (four service aces in the tournament opener against Arkansas-Pine Bluff) also led UT Martin offensively.

Lauren Mariscal was responsible for a team-best 37 digs (5.29 per set) today while Mia Saenz (1.25 blocks per set) and Rylee Key (1.00 blocks per set) were both major contributors to a defense that held the opposition to an .048 attack percentage on the day.

The Skyhawk Classic concludes tomorrow with a pair of rematches as UT Martin will take on West Georgia at 11 a.m. before squaring off against Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 2 p.m. Both matches will be streamed live on ESPN+.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff
The Skyhawks hit .241 offensively and limited the Lady Lions to an .010 attack percentage for UT Martin's first sweep of the 2026 campaign.

The Skyhawks did not trail during the first two sets, scoring the first six points of the match. UT Martin soon doubled up Arkansas-Pine Bluff (14-7) but did see its lead trimmed down to four points shortly before the technical timeout. However, the Skyhawks ended the set with 11 unanswered points, three of which occurred via service aces by Haas. Arcucci had six digs in the opening set to pace UT Martin.

Key delivered three kills in a seven-point span early in the second stanza, resulting in an 11-2 Skyhawk advantage. The Lady Lions pulled to within three points at 15-12 but UT Martin once again went on an extended run, compiling 10 of the final 13 points of the set. Abby Freund and Penny Kirkham landed service aces during the final surge that gave the Skyhawks a 2-0 lead in the match. Arcucci (5 kills) and Sulcer (12 assists) led the way for UT Martin in the middle set.

The third stanza offered up 13 tie scores and five lead changes. The Skyhawks overcame a 4-0 deficit to start the set and also trailed 15-12 before pulling out yet another late comeback. Facing set point twice (24-22 and 26-25), UT Martin received back-to-back Mariscal service aces as well as late kills from Arcucci and Mueller to finish off the victory. Arcucci (six kills, .667 hitting percentage, six digs), Mariscal (10 digs) and Sulcer (13 assists) each keyed the Skyhawks in the final set.

West Georgia
Four different UT Martin players (Mueller, Gladson, Martin, Diouf) reached double digits in the kill column as the Skyhawks hit .227 in their third win of the week.

Gladson and Martin each had a pair of kills during UT Martin's 10-7 lead to start the first set. A Saenz service ace helped the Skyhawks extend their lead out to 19-14 before a block assist from Sulcer and Mueller clinched the set after the Wolves closed the gap to one point late. Mueller's four kills on a .278 attack percentage guided UT Martin in the opening set.

The Skyhawks dialed up five of the first six points in the second stanza as Martin (five kills, .364 hitting percentage) sparked the squad. A kill from Mueller capped off a 7-2 UT Martin run before late kills by Gladson and Martin resulted in a double-digit set victory for the Skyhawks. Mueller swatted away three blocks while hitting a perfect 1.000 (two kills in two attempts) in the second set.

UT Martin led early in the third set but West Georgia was able to avoid a sweep. The Skyhawks trailed 10-5 but battled back to within a single point on three separate occasions. Gladson had a pair of kills in a four-point stretch before Diouf tacked on a kill to shave UT Martin's deficit to 21-20 but the Wolves answered with the last four points of the set. Gladson's five kills on an even .500 attack percentage guided the Skyhawks in the third stanza.

The fourth set featured 10 tie scores and four lead changes before UT Martin closed out the triumph. Trailing 10-7, the Skyhawks received back-to-back kills from Martin to go on top by a 12-11 margin. Diouf later added a kill to extend UT Martin's advantage out to 20-16 but West Georgia stormed back to secure set point opportunities twice. The Skyhawks fended off the Wolves and ended the extended set with a Diouf kill. Diouf and Mariscal led UT Martin in the fifth set with five kills and eight digs, respectively.