UT Martin Runs Win Streak To Five; Mueller Garners Most Valuable Player Honors To Lead Three Skyhawk Classic All-Tournament Selections

Saturday, September 19

Martin, Tenn.

11 a.m.

UT Martin

4-6,0-0OVC

West Georgia

4-8,0-0UAC

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
West Ga.	25	16	13	16	1
UT Martin	15	25	25	25	3

Stats PDF Tournament Central

Team	1	2	3	Final F
Ark.-Pine Bluff	23	20	19	0
UT Martin	25	25	25	3

UT Martin Runs Win Streak To Five; Mueller Garners Most Valuable Player Honors To Lead Three Skyhawk Classic All-Tournament Selections

9/19/2026 8:28:00 PM | Volleyball

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

MARTIN, Tenn. – A perfect run through the Skyhawk Classic was in store for the University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball team today as it rolled to a 3-1 win over West Georgia (15-25, 25-16, 25-13, 25-16) and a 3-0 sweep against Arkansas-Pine Bluff (25-23, 25-20, 25-19).

Sophie Diouf (19 kills, 2.71 per set) and Carly Mueller (2.00 kills and 1.29 blocks per set) were the Skyhawks' point leaders today while Dylan Sulcer managed 52 assists (7.43 per set) and 21 digs (3.00 per set). Abby Freund ranked first on the squad today with 25 digs (3.57 per set) and three service aces while Lauren Mariscal (21 digs), Rylee Key (1.25 blocks per set), Maddy Gladson (1.00 blocks per set) and Mia Saenz (1.00 blocks per set) also led UT Martin, who now has won five straight decisions for the first time since an eight-match winning streak from Oct. 14 through Nov. 11, 2022.

Mueller was recognized as the Skyhawk Classic Most Valuable Player after tallying 31 kills (2.21 per set) on a .367 hitting percentage to go along with 19 blocks (1.36 per set). She was joined on the five-member All-Tournament team by Sulcer (8.86 assists per set, 2.14 digs per set, 15 kills, .343 attack percentage, eight blocks) and Gladson (2.30 kills per set, 0.90 blocks per set, 13 digs, three service aces).

UT Martin opens Ohio Valley Conference play next weekend, traveling to SIUE for matchups on Friday, Sept. 25 (6 p.m.) and Saturday, Sept. 26 (3 p.m.)

West Georgia
Sulcer turned in her first double-double of the season with 25 assists and 13 digs to help the Skyhawks to their first win of the day.

UT Martin held a pair of early leads in the opening set but the Wolves used a 6-0 run to lead 10-4 before a Chyler Martin kill got the Skyhawks back on track. West Georgia went on a 7-3 run soon thereafter but a pair of Key kills and a Penny Kirkham service ace pulled UT Martin back within striking distance at 20-14. Key's three kills in five swings (.600 hitting percentage) and Mariscal's five digs led the Skyhawks in the first set but the Wolves took the 1-0 advantage.

Key had two more kills as part of a 3-0 start to the second set for UT Martin. Back-to-back service aces from Gladson extended the Skyhawk lead out to six points before UT Martin ran away with it – leading by as many as 11 points en route to evening the matchup at 1-all. Gladson's four kills (on a .333 attack percentage) and two service aces paced the Skyhawks in the second stanza.

A Mariscal service ace gave UT Martin its first lead (4-3) of the third set and the Skyhawks never looked back from there. Mueller had a hand in three straight UT Martin points (two block assists plus a kill) before the Skyhawks put the set away with a 7-0 run late. Freund accounted for a service ace on set point to give UT Martin a 2-1 lead in the match. Gladson (four kills, three blocks) and Sulcer (seven digs) guided UT Martin in the third set.

Both sides jostled for momentum in the early stages of the fourth set as six ties took place in the first 12 combined points. The Skyhawks then went on a 10-3 run, which featured a trio of blocks by Key. Diouf then caught the hot hand, compiling five kills in UT Martin's final six points of the match to cap off the victory. Diouf had six kills with zero errors in 12 swings (.500 hitting percentage) in the final set.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff
The Skyhawks fended off a pesky Lady Lions squad to complete a dominant week of volleyball.

The first set featured eight of the 22 tie scores in the match. Back-to-back kills from Luli Arcucci stretched UT Martin's lead out to 14-9 before a Mueller kill pushed the Skyhawk advantage out to 19-13. Arkansas-Pine Bluff eventually fought back to even the score at 23-all but a Diouf/Saenz assisted block and a Gladson kill gave UT Martin a 1-0 edge. Diouf tallied four of the Skyhawks' 16 kills in the opening set.

Eight more ties took place in the second stanza, the last of which occurred at 13-all. UT Martin answered with five consecutive points, including back-to-back kills from Arcucci to make the score 18-13. The Lady Lions would not get any closer than four points for the remainder of the set as yet another Arcucci rally killer – her fifth of the set – nudged the Skyhawks ahead by a 2-0 margin. Sulcer managed 13 assists and a team-best six digs in the middle stanza.

UT Martin took its first lead of the third set following a Reagan Hamm kill that made the score 14-13 and capped off a 7-2 Skyhawk run in the process. After Arkansas-Pine Bluff briefly reclaimed the lead at 16-15, UT Martin scored four unanswered points and eventually closed out the sweep with another Hamm kill. Hamm was a perfect 4-for-4 in kill/swing attempts while dishing out nine assists in the final set.