CHARLES, Mo. – The University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball team’s pursuit of an Ohio Valley Conference road series sweep came up just short this evening as the Skyhawks fell by a 3-1 score (22-25, 27-29, 25-19, 18-25) at Lindenwood.
UT Martin (3-11, 1-3 OVC) hit .270 over the final three sets tonight but could not break through. After the Skyhawks led for a sizeable portion of the first two sets but the host Lions mounted comebacks in both stanzas. UT Martin led by as many as five points (16-11) in the opening set but Lindenwood wrapped up the stanza on a 7-2 surge. In the second set, the Skyhawks once again led by five points (17-12) midway through and had set point at 24-23 before the Lions took a 2-0 lead in the match. UT Martin fought back to win the third set handily as Kayla Carrell compiled eight digs in that stanza alone. With momentum seemingly shifting the Skyhawks’ way, Lindenwood (7-8, 3-1 OVC) scored the first four points of the fourth set and never looked back to force a split in the season series.
A pair of UT Martin players recorded double-doubles this evening in Kayla Bryant (match-high 14 kills, 12 digs) and Haeleigh Paulino (season-best 28 assists, 13 digs).
Jenna Vallée came away with 10 kills on a .267 hitting percentage while Mia Saenz posted eight kills with a team-best .400 attack percentage (just two errors in 15 attempts). Olivia Saunders and Kristin Phillips both picked up seven kills apiece for the Skyhawks.
Defensively, Carrell accounted for 27 digs – two shy of her career-high tally. Saunders and Halle Everett led the way with three blocks each for UT Martin at the net.
The Skyhawks have a busy week ahead with three matches in five days. That stretch begins with a Tuesday, Oct. 3 home matchup against in-state OVC rival Tennessee State. First serve from Skyhawk Fieldhouse is set for 6 p.m. on ESPN+.
