Friday, September 25
Edwardsville, Ill.
6 p.m.
UT Martin
6-6,1-0OVC
3
at
0
SIUE
2-11,0-1OVC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UT Martin | 25 | 28 | 32 | 3 |
| SIUE | 20 | 26 | 30 | 0 |
UT Martin Glides To Sixth Straight Victory With Sweep In OVC Opener
9/25/2026 9:51:00 PM | Volleyball
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – The University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball squad ran its winning streak to six matches this evening, sweeping SIUE by scores of 25-20, 28-26, 32-30 in the Ohio Valley Conference opener for both teams.
The Skyhawks were ignited tonight by freshman Rylee Key, who whipped up a career-best and match-high 12 kills on a sizzling .500 hitting percentage (just three errors in 18 swings). The Newbern, Tenn. native also rejected four blocks for UT Martin (6-6, 1-0 OVC), who is in the midst of its longest win streak since 2022.
Abby Freund landed a career-high five service aces this evening, tying for the most by any OVC player this season and producing the most aces by any Skyhawk since Kayla Bryant had six against Tennessee State on Nov. 2, 2024.
Sophie Diouf (10 kills), Dylan Sulcer (game-high 30 assists, three kills, seven digs, two blocks) and Lauren Mariscal (nine digs) also guided UT Martin to its fifth victory in its last seven tries in Edwardsville.
The lead never changed hands in the first set as a Mariscal service ace capped off a 5-2 Skyhawk run to start. Diouf had a dominant run of three kills in the span of four UT Martin points midway through the set to help the Skyhawks stretched their lead out to as many as five (18-13). Key had a hand in each of the final two points, slamming down a kill before teaming up with Sulcer for a block assist to give UT Martin the 1-0 advantage. Diouf (five kills) and Sulcer (12 assists) paced the Skyhawks in the opening stanza.
The Cougars fell behind by a 10-4 margin in the second set but gradually kept chipping away. Gladson tallied a pair of kills and a service ace during a five-point stretch to aid UT Martin's comeback. SIUE had set point twice but the Skyhawks dialed up four of the last five points, thanks to kills by Diouf, Key and the clincher from Chyler Martin. Key boasted five kills on a .375 attack percentage in the second set alone while Sulcer provided all 12 assists for UT Martin.
The marathon third set featured 14 tie scores and 10 lead changes. A trio of Freund service aces brought upon a 5-0 Skyhawk flurry to start the set. SIUE then stormed back to take a 14-9 lead before Carly Mueller heated up. The sophomore out of Hendersonville, Tenn. generated three kills during a six-point span to help UT Martin reclaim the lead at 16-15. It was back-and-forth from there as both teams had four opportunities at set point before the Skyhawks cashed in with a Riley Rushing kill on match point. Mueller (five kills on seven swings, .714 hitting percentage) and Freund (four service aces) both stood out in the final set.
UT Martin goes for the season sweep of the Cougars tomorrow as first serve is set for 3 p.m.
The Skyhawks were ignited tonight by freshman Rylee Key, who whipped up a career-best and match-high 12 kills on a sizzling .500 hitting percentage (just three errors in 18 swings). The Newbern, Tenn. native also rejected four blocks for UT Martin (6-6, 1-0 OVC), who is in the midst of its longest win streak since 2022.
Abby Freund landed a career-high five service aces this evening, tying for the most by any OVC player this season and producing the most aces by any Skyhawk since Kayla Bryant had six against Tennessee State on Nov. 2, 2024.
Sophie Diouf (10 kills), Dylan Sulcer (game-high 30 assists, three kills, seven digs, two blocks) and Lauren Mariscal (nine digs) also guided UT Martin to its fifth victory in its last seven tries in Edwardsville.
The lead never changed hands in the first set as a Mariscal service ace capped off a 5-2 Skyhawk run to start. Diouf had a dominant run of three kills in the span of four UT Martin points midway through the set to help the Skyhawks stretched their lead out to as many as five (18-13). Key had a hand in each of the final two points, slamming down a kill before teaming up with Sulcer for a block assist to give UT Martin the 1-0 advantage. Diouf (five kills) and Sulcer (12 assists) paced the Skyhawks in the opening stanza.
The Cougars fell behind by a 10-4 margin in the second set but gradually kept chipping away. Gladson tallied a pair of kills and a service ace during a five-point stretch to aid UT Martin's comeback. SIUE had set point twice but the Skyhawks dialed up four of the last five points, thanks to kills by Diouf, Key and the clincher from Chyler Martin. Key boasted five kills on a .375 attack percentage in the second set alone while Sulcer provided all 12 assists for UT Martin.
The marathon third set featured 14 tie scores and 10 lead changes. A trio of Freund service aces brought upon a 5-0 Skyhawk flurry to start the set. SIUE then stormed back to take a 14-9 lead before Carly Mueller heated up. The sophomore out of Hendersonville, Tenn. generated three kills during a six-point span to help UT Martin reclaim the lead at 16-15. It was back-and-forth from there as both teams had four opportunities at set point before the Skyhawks cashed in with a Riley Rushing kill on match point. Mueller (five kills on seven swings, .714 hitting percentage) and Freund (four service aces) both stood out in the final set.
UT Martin goes for the season sweep of the Cougars tomorrow as first serve is set for 3 p.m.
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
L/DS
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
L/DS
/ Volleyball
OH/OPP
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
S/DS
/ VolleyballTeam Stats
UTM
SIUE
Kills
42
35
Errors
22
24
Attempts
111
104
Hitting %
.180
.106
Points
58.0
45.0
Assists
36
33
Aces
10
6
Blocks
6
4
Game Leaders
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Tuesday, September 15
Sunday, September 06
Wednesday, September 02
Tuesday, September 01